Only two matches away from their return to the Missouri Valley Conference Championship, the Murray State tennis team captured their 10th straight win of the season and their 16th straight MVC win dating back to last season in Springfield, Missouri, on Sunday, April 13. This win secured a first-round bye in the upcoming conference tournament. 

The Racers claimed two doubles wins over the Bears to secure the doubles point. Partners freshman Yu Kiakawa and sophomore Yuna Kadowaki fought for a 6-4 win while senior Paola Campigotto and sophomore Varya Alexeyeva didn’t allow their opponents to win a single game, taking a 6-0 win. 

Kiakawa and Kadowaki each grabbed singles wins, making them both 5-1 in conference play. Campigotto defeated her opponent 6-3 in both sets, making her fifth in program history in win percentage for players with over 100 career wins. 

Following her first career win, freshman Rebecca Widan clinched the match for the Racers with a 6-0, 6-0 win. The team dropped two intense singles matches from sophomores Valeria Chaikovskaia (6-4, 4-6, 6-3) and Alexeyeva (7-6, 7-6) for a final score of 5-2. 

The Racers return to action on April 18 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, against Northern Iowa in search of their 17th straight MVC win.