EAST LANSING, Mich. – Entering the week as the No. 70-ranked team in the latest ITA rankings, the Michigan State women’s tennis team looks to continue its impressive start to the season as it hosts No. 28-ranked Columbia on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. inside the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility.
Sunday’s match will cap off a six-match homestand for MSU and is 4-1 during this span with its lone loss coming to No. 17-ranked Southern California 6-1.
RANK EM’
Following a hard-fought battle against USC and a 5-2 victory over Xavier last week, the Spartans are ranked for the first time this season, as they enter the week as the No. 70-ranked team in the latest ITA rankings.
Michigan State was well represented in the weekly rankings, with the doubles pairing of graduate Nicole Conard and senior Ayshe Can debuted in the rankings as the No. 44-ranked doubles tandem in Division I. Conard and Can made their case when they took down USC No. 15-ranked duo of Eryn Cayetano and Emma Charney 6-1. The Spartans pairing has never partnered prior to the season and boasts a 3-1 record.
SCOUTING COLUMBIA
Columbia enters the week on a seven-match win streak with a 9-1 overall record, its lone loss came against Norte Dame 5-2 on Jan. 21. Leading the pack for the Lions is 15th year head coach Ilene Weintraub. She has coached Columbia to five-straight winning seasons and is two wins away from tying last season win total of 11. A young cub is leading the Lions is wins this year as freshman Gayathri Krishnan has an impressive 31 total victories.
SERIES HISTROY VS. COLUMBIA
This is the second all time meeting between MSU and Columbia. The last time these two programs met was during the 2021-22 season with the Lions walking away with a 5-2 victory in East Lansing.
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