MARSHALL, Minn. - The Southwest Minnesota State University women's tennis team (11-9, 3-3 NSIC) returns to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play on Saturday with a match versus Minnesota State University (11-7, 4-2 NSIC) starting at 1 p.m. at Gustavus Adolphus College (6-4) in St. Peter, Minn. SMSU will then face Gustavus in a non-conference match at 5 p.m. Both matches will take place at the Swanson Tennis Center.
 
HEAD COACH
•Jon Parker is in his third season as head coach with an overall record of 21-24, including 12-13 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. MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU and MSU meet for the 39th time with MSU leading 26-12.
•SMSU has won the last two matches in the series, including 7-0 last season in St. Peter. SMSU also won 5-2 during the 2019 season. Prior to 2019, MSU had won 15 straight from 2004-17.
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. GUSTAVUS         
•SMSU and GAC meet for the 25th time with GAC leading 20-4.
•GAC has won the last four meetings with SMSU last winning during the 2015 season.
 
SMSU NOTES
•SMSU has gone 2-5 over the past three weeks with non-conference matches in Missouri, California and Nebraska.
•The Mustangs lost at Northwest Missouri State and Missouri Western State early March, before going 1-2 in three matches in the state of California during spring break. SMSU lost to Concordia (Calif.), defeated William Jessup (Calif.) and lost at Azusa Pacific. SMSU closed the stretch of non-league matches last weekend defeating Doane (Neb.) and losing to nationally ranked Nebraska-Kearney.
•For the season, Cora Delich has a team-high 11 victories in singles with five at No. 5, two each at No. 2 and No. 4 and one at No. 3.
•Courtenay Leonard and Daniela Poulakidas each have 10 singles victories. Leonard has six victories at No. 1, while Poulakidas has three each at No. 5 and No. 6.  
•Maja Louisa Harck has nine wins in singles, while Abbey Agra and Joana Reis Indio both have eight victories.
•Delich and Roz Oye have combined for 11 victories in doubles play, including 4-2 in NSIC play.
 
        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.