WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State University tennis team wraps up regular season play this weekend with a pair of home matches at the Winona Tennis Center. The Warriors host Bemidji State University on Saturday at 3 p.m. and conclude the homestand against Minnesota Crookston on Sunday at 9 a.m.
Winona State (7-7, 6-3 NSIC) enters the final weekend of regular season play sitting in a tie for fourth place with UMary in the conference standings. UMary does own the tiebreaker with WSU after defeating the Warriors earlier this season, 6-1.
SCOUTING BEMIDJI: The Beavers (7-5, 5-4 NSIC) are one game back of the Warriors in the conference race entering Friday's pivotal match. Bemidji State enters the weekend on a four-match winning streak, including three 7-0 victories. The Beavers are a formattable foe and should present the Warriors with a competitive match as BSU also owns a 4-3 win over UMary earlier this year. WSU defeated Bemidji last season, 6-3.
SCOUTING CROOKSTON: The Golden Eagles (0-13, 0-9 NSIC) will play Upper Iowa in Winona on Friday prior to Saturday's finale against the Warriors. Crookston has been swept in all but one of its matches to date this season. Winona State scored a 9-0 sweep over the Golden Eagles last season.
LAST TIME OUT: The Warriors returned to the win column with a 5-2 triumph over Upper Iowa last weekend. The victory snapped a brief three-match skid against NSIC foes. Prior to last weekend, the Warriors enjoyed a Spring Break trip to Florida, although their travel plans were thrown for a loop more than once attempting to leave Minnesota's harsh weather.
DOUBLE VISION: Winona State's No. 1 team of Beth Murman and Kaisey Skibba have shown great consistency and success this season despite playing together for just the first time this year. Murman, a freshman, and Skibba, one of WSU's four juniors, are 10-4 together on the court, including a 6-3 mark against NSIC opponents.
STACKED DECK: Junior Tayla Card has strung together three straight wins at Singles No. 4 and currently leads the Warriors with a 9-5 overall record. Skibba, WSU's returning All-Conference selection, is right behind her teammate with an 8-6 mark at Singles No. 3.
NSIC TOURNEY: The Warriors will have plenty of time to prepare after this weekend for the upcoming 2019 NSIC Tournament slated for April 13-14 in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Winona State fell in the conference semifinals a year ago and will look to reach the championship match for the first time since 2013.
