MARSHALL, Minn. - The Southwest Minnesota State University women's tennis team (5-4, 5-0 NSIC) travels to Winona, Minn., this Saturday for a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference match versus Upper Iowa University (1-7, 1-4 NSIC) at 12:30 p.m. and Winona State University (6-3, 5-2 NSIC) at 4:30 p.m. Both matches will take place at the Winona Tennis Center.
 
            HEAD COACH
•Jon Parker is in his second season as head coach with an overall record of 6-11.
•The 10th head coach in team history, Parker was named to the position on Jan. 9, 2020.
•Parker served two seasons (2017-18) as head coach at Northeastern State (Okla.), leading the Riverhawks to a 39-11 overall recording, including 18-0 in conference play, and a pair of NCAA Tournaments. He was named the 2018 MIAA Coach of the Year.
•Parker was also a successful girls' and boys' high school coach in Oklahoma and Texas.
 
            SERIES HISTORY VS. UPPER IOWA
•SMSU and UIU meet for the 15^th time with UIU holding an 11-3 advantage.
•SMSU has won the last two meetings, including 4-0 in 2019 and 6-3 in 2018.
•Prior to the victory in 2019, UIU had won the previous eight matches from 2010-17.  
 
            SERIES HISTORY VS. WINONA STATE
•SMSU and WSU match-up for the 45th time with WSU leading 31-13.
•WSU has dominated the series the past 20-plus years having won the last 24 matches. SMSU's last win in the series came during the 1996 season.
•WSU won the previous meeting in 2019 by a 6-1 score.
 
            SMSU COURT NOTES
•SMSU is coming off a split of two matches last Sunday in St. Peter, Minn., defeating Minnesota State, 7-0, before losing 6-3 to Gustavus in non-conference play.
•Maegan Flight won both matches on Sunday at No. 1 singles in straight sets.
•Courtenay Leonard earned two victories at No. 2 singles on Sunday.
•Maja Louisa Harck finished 2-0 in doubles action on Sunday, teaming with Leonard at No. 1 to defeat MSU, before earning a victory versus GAC at No. 2 with Gwendolen Sior.
•For the season, Flight, Harck, Leonard and Sior all have five victories in singles play with Flight earning all five at the No. 1 spot, while Leonard has three wins at No. 2.
•Harck has a team-high six victories in doubles play with five coming while teaming with Leonard.
•Kennedy Torgerson recorded her first collegiate victory versus Minnesota Crookston on Feb. 21 with a straight set win at No. 6 singles.
 
            HARCK NAMED NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
•SMSU freshman Maja Louisa Harck was named the NSIC Player of the Week on Feb. 16. She is the first Mustang player to earn the award since Ashley Hoehne in 2016.
•Harck went a combined 4-0 versus Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State, winning both singles matches and teaming with Courtenay Leonard on a pair of wins at No. 2 doubles.
 
            LOOKING FOR WINNING LEAGUE RECORD
•SMSU last recorded a winning season in conference play during the 2008 season, finishing 5-2.
•The last time SMSU won four matches in conference play occurred during the 2010 season, while the last time the program recorded five league wins came in 2009.
 
            PRESEASON NSIC POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish 10th in the preseason NSIC Coaches' poll. The top eight teams in the final regular season standings qualify for the NSIC Tournament in April 23-24 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
 
            MUSTANG HISTORY
•The 2021 season marks the 44th year of intercollegiate tennis at SMSU. The program won nine straight conference championships from 1984-92 and also placed at the NAIA Championships each season from 1984-93.
•SMSU's highest finish at the NAIA Championships was 11th in 1990. SMSU also finished 12th in 1989, 13th in 1988, 14th in 1992, 16th in 1991, 17th in both 1984 and 1985 and 19th in 1987.