Box Score 1 MAGNOLIA, Ark. – #15 Southern Arkansas closed out nonconference play over the weekend in Missouri and fourth-year head coach
Greg Owen's squad showed out by notching a trio of wins over three-straight days highlighted by a victorious 4-3 battle over #13 Washburn in a matchup of the Central Region's top two teams. The Muleriders bookended the action with a 4-1 win over Southwest Baptist, the team's second win over the Bearcats this season, and closed out the weekend with a 4-1 showing against Drury. SAU improves its overall record to 15-3 with a 13-2 mark against Division II opponents.
The Muleriders claimed the doubles point as
Stuart Rehfuss and
Sofiane Bah topped Carlos Corser and Max Sanoja 6-1 at No. 2, while
Ole Valkyser and
Matthew Tennant edged Makary Adamek and David Szeri 7-6 (4) at No. 3. Wins by the Muleriders at singles lines No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 clinched the match for SAU.
Sander Jans topped Szeri 6-1, 6-4 at No. 1, Rehfuss rebounded from a 7-5 loss in set one to cruise 6-0, 6-2 in the three-set win and Valkyser outlasted Alvaro Nunez 7-6 (4), 7-5.
In arguably the team's biggest win of the season, SAU gritted through a Saturday afternoon battle with the Ichabods. The Muleriders swept the doubles action with wins by #8 Jans and Nikoliuk 6-3 at line one over #18 Matthew Earle and Sebastian Pjontek and Tennant and Valkyser winning 6-2 over Miquel Perez and Santiago Rendon at line three.
The Ichabods overcame the early deficit to grab a 3-1 lead with singles victories at No. 6, No. 1 and No. 3. Valkyser, topped Central Region #12 Pjontek 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 4 to jumpstart the rally just prior to #51 Rehfuss claiming a three-set win over Perez by a score of 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. With the match tied at 3, the potential victory rested at No. 6 and Tennant put it to bed as he defeated the Central Region's #14-ranked player Daniel Bird 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4 to give SAU the win.
Against Drury, SAU won the doubles action with wins by Rehfuss and Bah (6-1 over Luis Dobelmann/Marlon Wilken) at No. 2 and Valkyser and Tennant at No. 3 (6-3 over Mark Drozdetckii/Isaac Ogilvy). Singles wins at lines two, three and four decided the match for the Muleriders as Rehfuss beat Lukas Stierling 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2, #16
Marko Nikoliuk defeating #65 Wilken 7-6, 6-1 at No. 3 and Valkyser winning 6-0, 6-1 against the Panthers' Dobelmann to cap the 3-0 weekend.
Just three matches remain for the Muleriders on the regular season docket and it's the three biggest of the season. SAU opens MIAA-GAC play on Thursday, April 7 in Arkadelphia against Ouachita in a matchup against nationally-ranked foes. The following Monday, the Muleriders will host Harding in the final home match of the season and on Friday, April 22, Southern Arkansas closes out the regular season with at Southeastern Oklahoma State.
