MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas Men's & Women's Tennis teams are back in action this weekend at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) Central Region Tournament hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma. The tournament consists of teams from the Great American Conference, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with singles and doubles tournament winners advancing to Rome, Georgia, for the Division II National Tournament.
 
Southern Arkansas, under first-year head coach Greg Owen, will carry five men and five women to Oklahoma City for the regional affair. Owen is excited to watch his teams compete for just the second time this fall campaign. "I expect the men and women to both perform very well," remarked Owen. "Good competition no doubt, but we are excited at the opportunity to go out and compete at a high level. Both groups have had great practice sessions and are motivated to come out and play Mulerider tennis."
 
It is just the beginning for the revitalized program which rebooted last November. Two weeks ago, the young Mulerider teams got their first taste of collegiate tennis action at the Midwestern State Invitational. Read the full recap of the tournament here.
 
"I think that is a little different for each of our players but most of all we gained some collegiate tournament experience and shook some of the early nerves I believe," noted Owen when asked about what he feels his players took away from the opening tournament of the fall.
 
The three-day event begins on Friday, September 28 and runs through Sunday, September 30. A list of the singles and doubles draws for both the men and women can be viewed here (PDF).
 
The following athletes will be competing for Southern Arkansas this weekend: Freshmen Serena Gill, Lena Milosevic, Simone Simas and Angela Vargas as well as junior Joanna Nowakowska will take the court for the SAU Women, while the SAU Men will be represented by freshmen Raymond Marin Garcia, Yuri Gondouin, Gustavo Kerber, and Natiphat Mulada as well as junior Aleksandr Pokusaev.
 
Official results for all of SAU's athletes can be found throughout the weekend (here | here). Additionally, the tournament home page can be accessed here.
 
Stay up-to-date with Mulerider Men's & Women's Tennis at www.MuleriderAthletics.com or by checking out our social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.