SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Southern Arkansas Muleriders pulled off a thrilling 4-3 victory over #41-ranked Northwest Missouri State on Wednesday to advance to the semifinals of the 2025 MIAA/GAC Championship Tournament.

The match began with doubles play, where Lluc Pasqual and Jinsei Tajima secured a 6-4 win at line two. However, the Bearcats bounced back, claiming wins at lines one and three to take the doubles point.

Despite the early deficit, Tajima quickly leveled the match with a dominant 6-0, 6-3 performance at line three. #54 Tim Fischer followed with a crucial 6-4, 6-2 upset over #19-ranked Dominik Wijntjes at the top singles spot. Pasqual then added another point with a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) win at line four, giving the Muleriders a 3-2 advantage.

After Northwest Missouri evened the score at 3-3, all eyes turned to sophomore Frode Neumann at line two. In a gritty three-set battle, Neumann rallied to claim a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory, clinching the win for Southern Arkansas.

The Muleriders will now face Ouachita Baptist in the semifinal round, with first serve scheduled for 2 p.m. tomorrow.