Southeast Missouri (8-6, 3-0 OVC) at Tennessee State (3-13, 1-1 OVC)
Date: Friday, March 29, 2024
Time: 1:30 p.m., CT
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Series: SEMO leads, 26-3
Redhawks Back on the Road
Southeast Missouri (8-6, 3-0) is back on the road to face Tennessee State (3-13, 1-1) prior to the Easter holiday. Start time is 1:30 p.m., CT Friday at the TSU Tennis Complex
Series History
Southeast Missouri is 26-3 all-time against Tennessee State. SEMO has not allowed a point in the last four meetings against the Tigers. The Redhawks are 6-1 against TSU with Mary Beth Gunn as their head coach.
Atop the Standings
Southeast Missouri is first in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Redhawks are undefeated (3-0) in league play and enter the weekend on a five-match winning streak. As a team, SEMO has only lost one time in doubles (12-1) and holds a 22-4 singles record over the last five weeks. Southern Indiana (2-0) is close behind the Redhawks, while SIU Edwardsville and Tennessee State are tied for third at 1-1.
About Tennessee State
The Tigers have a 3-13 overall record and are coming off of a 7-0 loss to SIU Edwardsville, which Southeast Missouri recently beat. The Tigers wins have come against Bethune-Cookman (4-3), Western Illinois (4-3), and Tennessee Southern (6-1). Perri Howard and Warona Mdlulwa, TSU's No. 1 doubles tandem, has the most doubles wins this season with three. Mdlulwa has four singles victories, most for the Tigers this spring.
The Redhawks Numbers
Southeast Missouri has three athletes with nine singles wins this season. Daniela Hlacikova (9-5), Trinity Calinescu (9-4) and Juliette Talieu (9-2) are in that trio. The Redhawks No. 6 player in Lera Valeeva (8-6) is close behind with eight wins. In doubles action, SEMO's No. 1 pair of Hlacikova and Talieu (10-1) have only one defeat. Calinescu and Lai are 8-4 at No. 2 and Maja Bajorek and Valeeva are 5-4 at No. 3 doubles.
Ohio Valley Conference Dominance
The Redhawks have dominated the Ohio Valley Conference as of late. Southeast Missouri has won the regular season OVC title twice, the OVC Tournament title twice, and made an NCAA appearance twice since 2021. Since the 2021 campaign, the Redhawks are 21-2 in regular season conference matches and 5-1 in OVC Tournament play. SEMO has not lost to a current OVC Conference member since 2018 (Eastern Illinois).
Redhawks Picked to Win OVC in 2024
The Redhawks are the Ohio Valley Conference preseason favorite entering the 2024 campaign. Southeast Missouri received 35 points and five first-place votes in the overall voting. SIU Edwardsville, Eastern Illinois, Tennessee State, first-year OVC member Western Illinois, Lindenwood and Southern Indiana completed the poll. Daniela Hlacikova (No. 1), Vivian Lai (No. 4), Trinity Calinescu (No. 7) and Juliette Talieu (No. 9) are ranked among the league's top 10 players ahead of the spring.
