MAGNOLIA, Ark – Competing in both the fall and spring seasons, the Southern Arkansas University Mulerider men's and women's tennis teams both look to continue their recent successes as their fall 2021 season is slated to begin this weekend.

Both the men's and women's team will be competing in the UT Tyler / TJC Invitation on Friday, September 3, and Saturday, September 4. The tournament will be conducted on both the UT Tyler and Tyler Junior College campuses. The men's and women's sides will be split into flights for the singles matches, and a bracket format for the doubles matches. The tournament will feature many top players from Division I, Division II, and Junior College levels. Each flight has been drawn based on relative skill level for each competitor.

The Mulerider men's tennis team, led by fourth-year head coach Greg Owen is coming off of an impressive 13-6 record, including a 3-1 GAC record, which they compiled during the spring of 2021. The Muleriders return six players who made it to the NCAA Division II Central Regional Tournament in Sanders Jans, Sofiane Bah, Marko Nikoliuk, Yuri Gondouin, Ole Valkyser, and Gabriel Breitenmor. All six have earned All-MIAA/GAC honors as both single and doubles performers.
The doubles pair of Jans and Bah earned All-American honors, while Jans also gained All-American honors in singles play, making him the first Mulerider to earn All-America honors in both events.

In addition to the Tyler Invitational, the Mulerider men's tennis team will compete in a few other events this fall. The team will host the SAU Invitation on September 10^th and 11^th, before competing in the GAC Tournament hosted by Arkansas Tech University on September 24^th and 25^th. The ITA Regional Tournament will be played in Edmond, Oklahoma on October 1-3, while the ITA Championships will be held in Rome, Georgia, starting on October 14-17.

The Mulerider women's tennis team will look to improve on their 6-13 record compiled in the spring of 2021. SAU will depend heavily on their three returning All-GAC honorees in first-teamers Lena Milosevic, and Honoka Yoshimura, and second-team selection Sarah Roy. The Muleriders also return Simone Simas who took home All-GAC First Team honors in 2019. Owen and his squad also see five additional players return, and welcome in two newcomers.

Yoshimura is a rising sophomore that turned many heads during her freshman campaign as she compiled a 10-1 record in singles play this past spring, including an impressive 7-0 record against GAC opponents. Yoshimura and Serena Gill carried a 5-3 record in conference action this past spring.

Much like the men's fall schedule, the Mulrider women's tennis team will also be competing in the GAC Tournament hosted by Arkansas Tech University on September 24th and 25th. The ITA Regional Tournament will be played in Edmond, Oklahoma on October 1-3, while the ITA Championships will be held in Rome, Georgia, starting on October 14-17.

You can stay up-to-date with all things Mulerider Tennis by visiting www.muleriderathletics.com or by following Mulerider Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @muleridersports.