| Box Score 4 WICHITA FALLS, Texas – The Southern Arkansas Men's Tennis continued their near perfect start to the 2021 season this past weekend at the Midwestern State Invitational. The Muleriders posted a 3-1 record in four matches played in a 48-hour span. SAU defeated UT-Tyler (4-1), Southwest Baptist (4-2) for the second time this season, and (RV) Cameron (4-2), before falling in a closely-challenged affair with host #22 Midwestern State (4-3). At 6-2 overall, Southern Arkansas' only losses have come in 4-3 decisions.
 
In the match with nationally-ranked Mustangs, Southern Arkansas claimed the doubles point as the duos of Sander Jans and Sofiane Bah at line one and Ole Lukas Valkyser and Gabriel Breitenmoser at line three staked SAU to an early 1-0 advantage. A 6-4, 6-4 singles victory for Jans over MSU's Ben Westwick at No. 2 tied the match at 2-2 after MSU claimed wins at No. 4 and 3 to start singles play. Bah evened the match at 3-3 with a 6-2, 6-4 win over the Mustangs' Quentin Scharfenberg at No. 6. Breitenmoser nearly forced a third set at No. 5 as Alberto Diaz won 6-3, 7-6 to take the match.
 
The match with Cameron resulted in SAU claiming the doubles point with victories by Yuri Gondouin / Marko Nikoliuk and Valkyser / Breitenmoser. It was singles lines 2, 3, and 4 that clinched the match for the Muleriders as Jans (6-3, 7-5, 6-3 vs. Oscar del Granado) and Valkyser (6-4, 6-7 (8), 6-4 vs. Alvaro Chavez) won in three sets at 2 and 4 respectively, while Nikoliuk topped Maycon Dias 6-4, 6-3. The three set victories broke a 2-2 tie to give SAU the win over the Aggies who are receiving votes in the national Top 25.
 
Southern Arkansas surrendered the doubles point in its second meeting of the season with Southwest Baptist. But Jans again put SAU on the board early with a singles victory at line No. 2. He defeated SBU's Carlos Corser 6-0, 6-2 to even the match. Valkyser then added a big victory over David Szeri 7-6 (8), 6-3, while Nikoliuk put the Muleriders up 3-2 with a tight win at No. 3; a 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-3 decision over Alvaro Nunez. Breitenmoser closed out the match for SAU by topping Fabian Neff in three sets (6-7 (7), 6-1, 6-3).
 
In the weekend's opening match, SAU and UT-Tyler battled in an extremely close match which saw the Patriots win the doubles point, before the Muleriders claimed three set victories at lines 1, 2, 3, and 4. Jans was the lone Mulerider to rally from a first set defeat as Gondouin, Nikoliuk and Valkyser all won as well to push SAU past the Lone Star Conference foe.
 
The Mulerider Men return to action on Monday at 11 a.m. for the 2021 home opener as West Alabama comes to Magnolia. Greg Owen's squad will put an unbeaten 12-0 record at the Live Oaks Tennis Courts on the line against the Tigers. Results will be made available at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.