RUSTON – Louisiana Tech heads to the state of Kentucky to play three indoor matches against Austin Peay, SEMO, and Murray State.
 
MATCH INFORMATION
Match One
Thursday, Jan. 30 | 2 p.m. CT | LA Tech vs. Austin Peay
Match Two
Friday, Jan. 31 | 2 p.m. CT | LA Tech vs. SEMO
Match Three
Saturday, Feb. 1 | 10 a.m. CT | LA Tech vs. Murray State
 
Location: Paul Rowton Indoor Tennis Center (Paducah, Ky.)
Live Stats: LATechSports.com/TennisStats (SEMO match only)
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (3-2)
LA Tech is coming off a doubleheader sweep against Southern Arkansas and Louisiana Christian.  The Bulldogs, playing their 2025 home opener, defeated the Muleriders, 5-2, before blanking the Wildcats, 4-0.
 
The team won the doubles point in each match, improving to 9-5 overall in duals this spring.  The tandem of Mio Kozaki and Nina Skoric remain unbeaten on the season while the duo of Alice Brook and Maria Tsironi went 2-0 this past Saturday.
 
LA Tech won eight of the 10 singles matches played, improving to 15-12 on the season.  Zoie Epps continued her dominance, dropping four total games in her two straight-set victories to improve to 5-0 this spring.
 
Kozaki was equally as dominant in her two matches, winning 6-2, 6-0 over SAU and 6-0, 6-0 against LCU.  Ana Rodrigues, Alice Brook, and Tsironi each tallied one singles victory on the day.   
 
ABOUT AUSTIN PEAY (0-0)
Austin Peay will be opening its 2025 spring season on Thursday against LA Tech.  The Governors, coming of a 12-9 season a year ago, are picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic Sun preseason coaches poll.
 
The team returns four players who won double-digit dual singles matches last season led by Pauline Bruns who went 14-4 at the No. 6 position.  Also expected to play a key role in the lineup are Sophie Baranov (13-7 record), Asia Fontana (11-6 record), and Denise Torrealba (11-8 record).
 
Thursday will mark the third all-time meeting between LA Tech and Austin Peay on the courts.  The Governors have won the previous two matches – 5-4 in 1986 and 5-1 in 2000.
 
ABOUT SEMO (0-4)
SEMO is still in search of its first win of the spring season, having dropped all four matches to Texas State, No. 4 Oklahoma State, WKU, and most recently a narrow 4-3 loss at Central Arkansas.
 
The Redhawks, looking for their third straight Ohio Valley Conference regular season title, is picked to finish second in the OVC behind SIUE.  They are guided this season by first-year head coach Steve Brooks.
 
They are 5-13 in dual singles led by Maja Bajorek and Juliette Demunck who are each 2-2.  Meanwhile, the Redhawks are just 1-9 in dual doubles so far with the lone win coming by the pairing of Lera Valeeva and Kristina Kozakova.  
 
LA Tech trails in the all-time series against SEMO, 1-3.  The two programs met in back-to-back seasons (1992-93) with the Redhawks claiming wins in each one.  The Bulldogs won the lone match in the series, 5-1, in 2009, but SEMO was a 4-2 winner in the last meeting in 2019.
 
ABOUT MURRAY STATE (0-1)
The reigning Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champions Murray State are tabbed as the favorites of the 2025 MVC preseason poll. 
 
The racers opened their spring dual season at Kentucky back on Jan. 18, falling 6-1 to the Wildcats.  Picking up a victory in that match was the doubles tandem of Varya Alexeyeva and Paola Campigotto.  The 101st-ranked doubles pair won 6-3, earning MVC Doubles Players of the Week honors.
 
Claiming the lone singles win against UK was transfer Yuna Kadowaki at the No. 5 position.
 
LA Tech is undefeated against Murray State, having won all four matchups.  The two programs last met in 2022 with the Bulldogs winning, 4-1, in Ruston.
 
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