MARSHALL, Minn. - The Southwest Minnesota State University women's tennis team (8-1, 2-0 NSIC) continues Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play this Saturday and Sunday with a pair matches in Owatonna, Minn.     
 
SMSU will take on No. 16 Augustana (4-0, 2-0 NSIC) at 1 p.m. on Saturday before facing Sioux Falls (3-0, 2-0 NSIC) at 7 a.m. on Sunday. Both matches will be held at the West Hills Tennis & Fitness Center.
 
Augustana, which plays Nebraska-Kearney in a non-conference match on Friday night, has won 131 consecutive NSIC matches and has won the past 11 NSIC championships. AU's last loss in NSIC play came during its first season in the conference in 2009.
 
HEAD COACH
•Jon Parker is in his third season as head coach with an overall record of 18-16, including 11-10 in NSIC matches.
•The 10^th 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. AUGUSTANA
•SMSU and AU meet for the 31^st time with AU leading 25-2.
•AU has won the last 18 matches with SMSU's last win coming in 2002.
•AU won both matches last season, 7-0 in regular season play and 4-0 in the semifinals of the NSIC Tournament.  
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. SIOUX FALLS
•SMSU and USF meet for the 17^th time with USF leading 12-4.
•SMSU's 5-2 victory last season in Sioux Falls, S.D., snapped a nine-match losing streak in the series.
 
            SMSU NOTES
•SMSU opened the 2022 conference season last Saturday in Owatonna defeating Bemidji State 4-3 and Minnesota Crookston 6-1.
•Cora Delich won both of her singles matches and was also 2-0 in doubles play.
•Delich and Roz Oye combined for two victories in doubles play.
•Joana Reis Indio and Maja Louisa Harck finished the weekend 2-0 in doubles action.
 
            LOOKING TO KEEP ITS WINNING WAYS
•SMSU had one of its most successful seasons in nearly 15 years in 2021, closing with a 9-8 overall record, including 8-3 in NSIC play.
•The third-place NSIC regular season finish was the program's highest since 2008, while the semifinal appearance in the league tournament was its first since the 2009 season.
•SMSU's winning record was just its third since the 1998 season.
 
            2022 PRESEASON NSIC POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish fourth 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 2022 season marks the 45th 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 11^th in 1990. SMSU also finished 12^th in 1989, 13^th in 1988, 14^th in 1992, 16^th in 1991, 17^th in both 1984 and 1985 and 19^th in 1987.