MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The first major tournament in the 2024-2025 fall season for the Mulerider Men's Tennis team takes place over the weekend starting on Friday (Sep. 27) and finishing on Sunday (Sep. 29). Head Coach Greg Owen and his Mulerider Men are preparing for their trip to Topeka, Kansas and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Central Region Championships hosted by Washburn University. 

64 players are set to compete in the tournament's singles A Draw while 34 doubles teams are competing in the doubles A Draw. The winner of each draw will receive a direct qualification for the ITA Cup in Rome, Georgia on Oct 10 - 13. 

Southern Arkansas singles representatives this year include Tim Fischer, Frode Neumann, Mathys Pinoit, Jinsei Tajima, William Von Pongracz, and Uwe Diehl. The competing doubles teams are Fischer/Pinoit, Neumann/Tajima, and Von Pongracz/Diehl. 

Senior Tajima is highlighting the 2024-2025 fall season so far as he is undefeated in singles action and claimed two Flight 2 singles titles during the team's two trips to Texas. 

Below are the Muleriders' first-round matchups in both singles and doubles for the ITA Regional Championships.
 

Flight A Singles | Friday, 9:30 a.m. & 11 a.m.
Von Pongracz vs. Brisdon (Nebraska Kearney)
Tajima vs. Mattenberger (Emporia)
Fischer vs. Graham (Washburn)
Diehl vs. Sarunic (Emporia)
Pinoit vs. Darneaux (UAFS)
Neumann vs. van den Dungen (Nebraska Kearney)

Flight A Doubles | Friday, 8:00 a.m.
Von Pongracz/Diehl vs. Mens/Strzelecki (Nebraska Kearney)
Tajima/Neumann vs. de Ruiter/Solorzano (Harding)
Fischer/Pinoit vs. Ching/Pinto (Southeastern Oklahoma)

The tournament is starting on Friday (Sep. 27) morning and will run through to Sunday (Sep. 29).