BSU Tennis to host pair of NSIC matches this week
Beavers to face Minnesota State, Mankato on Friday and Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday
For the first time since early February, the Bemidji State University Women’s Tennis team will be at home hosting two Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches this week. The Beavers will face Minnesota State, Mankato first on Friday at 1:30 p.m. and then against Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday at 1 p.m. with both matches being played at the Gillett Wellness Center.
Bemidji State (2-13, 1-8 NSIC) opened the spring season at home against Minnesota Crookston on Feb. 2 and that was the last time the Beavers were home this season. That match marked a stretch of three straight home games for BSU dating back to the fall season.
The Beavers were off this past week, last playing on Apr. 2 against MSU Moorhead falling 7-0 to the Dragons. Nicoleta Anestiadi leads the team in singles wins with seven, four coming at No. 3. Blanca Lopez-Oro has five wins, all at the top flight. Laura Burger and Lily Jones each add three wins, with Burger winning two at No. 4 and Jones with two at No. 6. Isabela Nelson has a win at No. 4, Emilia Sand a win at No. 2 and Lexi Leitner a win at No. 6.
In doubles, Leitner has six wins, all at No. 3. Leitner has three wins each with Jones and Burger. Burger has four wins, with her other doubles victory coming with Lopez-Oro at No. 1. Jones has three wins, all with Leitner. Sand, Nelson and Lopez-Oro all have a win this year. Sand and Nelson won their doubles match at No. 2.
The Mavericks are 10-1 overall and 7-1 in NSIC play, having won eight straight. This past week, Minnesota State defeated Southwest Minnesota by a 6-1 score. The Mavericks hold a slight 6-5 lead in the series since 2003, with Minnesota State winning last year’s meeting by a 7-0 score. Prior to that, Bemidji State had won four straight.
Chiara Carnelutti and McKenna DeMarce lead the team with eight singles wins each. Carnelutti has five wins at No. 3. DeMarce has five wins at No. 5. Four other players have seven singles wins on the season. In doubles, Carnelutti/Freia Lawrence are 10-1 with nine wins at No. 2. Lois Page/Avery Stilwell have nine wins on the year, going 8-0 at No. 1. DeMarce/Elizabeth Felderman also have nine wins, with eight coming at No. 3.
Southwest Minnesota State is 4-14 overall and 3-6 in NSIC play. The only match they played last week was against the Mavericks in the 6-1 defeat.
BSU is 11-12 in the series since 1994 with the Mustangs winning the last two meetings. Prior to that, the Beavers had won seven straight from 2014-2020.
Camila Paccieri and Gabriela Almeida lead the team in singles wins with six apiece. Paccieri has four wins at No. 5 and Almeida has two wins each at No. 2 and No. 3. In doubles, Courtenay Leonard has five wins to lead the way all at the top flight. Faith Madikwe add four wins, two each at No. 2 and No. 3.