MARSHALL, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State women's tennis team (3-8, 2-3 NSIC) will continue Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play on Saturday taking on Upper Iowa (7-1, 5-1 NSIC) in Owatonna, Minn. beginning at 1 p.m. On Sunday, the Mustangs will square-off against Minnesota State, Mankato (7-4, 4-1 NSIC) in St. Peter, Minn. beginning at 9 a.m.

About Southwest Minnesota State: The Mustangs enter the weekend with a record of 3-8 overall and 2-4 in conference play. SMSU is coming off a 1-2 record during its spring trip to the Phoenix, Arizona area last week. The Mustangs lost its first two dual matches of the trip falling 6-3 to Glendale Community College and 9-0 against No. 15 Grand Canyon University. SMSU bounced back to defeat Mesa Community College 5-4 during its final dual match of the spring trip.

Cailey Grupe (No. 1 singles), Trisha Baldwin (No. 2 singles) and Angie Wiegmann (No. 3 singles) all enter the weekend with identical 5-6 records in singles matches on the season. Baldwin and Grupe have combined for a doubles record of 6-5 at No. 1 doubles. Wiegmann and Kasey Uran have combined to go 3-8 at No. 2 doubles for the Mustangs this season.

About Upper Iowa: The Peacocks enter the dual match with a record of 7-1 overall and 5-1 in NSIC action. Upper Iowa currently stands alone in third place in the conference standings. The Peacocks are coming off a 2-3 performance during its spring trip to Orlando, Florida. Amanda Nunez (No. 1 singles) and Anastasia Dabiza (No. 2 singles) both enter the weekend with a record of 9-3 in singles matches. Dabiza has combined with Courtney Romer to go 10-3 at No. 2 doubles play.

About Minnesota State: The Mavericks own a record of 7-4 on the season including 4-1 in NSIC play. Minnesota State is coming off a 1-3 performance during its spring trip to Puerto Rico last week. Sarah Madigan enters the contest with a record of 5-6 at No. 1 singles while Kathryn Gavin owns a record of 6-5 at No. 2 singles. Tegan Bakke is 8-2 at No. 5 singles and Jenny Gustafson is 6-2 at No. 6 singles.

Fall competition: Southwest Minnesota State competed in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Central Region Tournament earlier this season in Denver, Colo. Trisha Baldwin and Cailey Grupe advanced to the second round of doubles action in the tournament. The pair defeated Augustana's Liz Lewis and Emily Johnson, 8-2, in the first round before falling to Upper Iowa's Courtney Romer and Anastasia Dabiza, 8-5, in the second.

Senior leadership: Cailey Grupe and Trisha Baldwin returns as the top doubles tandem for SMSU. Grupe finished the 2010 season with a singles record of 13-9 and a doubles record of 15-7. Baldwin was 16-5 in singles matches while contributing to the 15-7 record with Grupe. Baldwin has compiled a 36-29 career record at SMSU and Baldwin owns a career record of 41-35 in three seasons.

The coach: Charlie Kost nters his first season as head coach of the women's tennis program at Southwest Minnesota State. Kost takes over the reigns from George Seldat, who retired after 16 seasons as head coach. Kost comes to SMSU after having spent eight seasons (2002-10) as the head girls' tennis coach at Marshall High School.

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