TYLER, Texas – The Southern Arkansas Men's and Women's Tennis teams opened up fall action this past weekend in east Texas at the Tyler Invitational jointly hosted by University of Texas at Tyler and Tyler Junior College. Fifth-year head coach Greg Owen's Muleriders put together a solid start and finished with a successful weekend in both squads' first of three fall tournaments.
 
All-league selection Ole Valkyser picked up where he left off last spring as he won a very competitive flight two. Newcomer Melvin Vix claimed the flight six title and on the women's side, Annika Berrendorf won at flight three.
 
Valkyser defeated Cameron's Thomas Cardona 7-6, 6-1 in his fall opener, followed that with a come-from-behind win against Tyler Junior College's Tim Riedel 4-6, 6-1, 10-3 before claiming the flight with a Saturday victory of 6-4 RET over Texas-Tyler's Joaquin Bianchi. For Vix, his run began with a rally against TJC's Faiz Nasyam 1-6, 6-2, 9-6 RET. A straight-sets victory of 6-1, 6-2 over Cameron's Emilio Seelbach sent the Mulerider newcomer to the flight final where he dismissed Texas-Tyler's Nikita Chuev 6-1, 6-3.
 
Berrendorf's title at line three started with a 6-2, 6-2 handling of TJC's Hrudaya Shah, moved to a 5-0 DEF of Texas-Tyler's Tanvikhaa Saravanan and ended with her toppling Central Oklahoma's Nefeli Zafeiri 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 behind an impressive rally after dropping the first set.
 
All three of SAU's flight champions endured a three-set win that saw each rally after opening-set defeats.
 
Other singles match winners for the Mulerider Women over the weekend included Lena Milosevic who won twice in singles play at line one, while Martina Cortal won once at flight 5. Milosevic and Greta Wallin claimed a pair of wins at doubles one and Berrendorf and Sarah Roy won once at doubles two.
 
Additional victories on the men's side included a win by Sander Jans at line one which also included two hard-fought, three-set defeats. Matthew Tenant won in three sets in his fall opener and Tatsuya Kimoto claimed a victory in his second match of the weekend. In doubles play, Jans and Valkyser, Schneider and Vix and Tennant and Lluc Pasqual all won once.
 
Both teams prepare for the ITA Regional Tournament in Edmond, Oklahoma on Friday, September 23 through Sunday, September 25.