EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State women's tennis begins a five-match homestand on the Banks of the Red Cedar this weekend, as the Green & White play host to the Liberty Flames, Miami (Ohio) RedHawks and Bowling Green Falcons at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center.
 
Action begins on Friday, Feb. 3, against Liberty, with first serve slated for 5 p.m. Michigan State concludes its weekend in East Lansing with a Sunday doubleheader on Feb. 5, as the Green & White welcome Miami (Ohio) at 10 a.m. followed by a 2 p.m. start against Bowling Green. The MSU Indoor Tennis Center will also play host to a neutral site match between Liberty and Miami on Saturday, Feb. 4, with first serve slated for 2 p.m.
 
HEAD COACH KIM BRUNO SAID…
"We are very excited to be back home in East Lansing. The opportunity to play at our home venue, with it being our Title IX match, is a really neat thing to be a part of. We look forward to celebrating the past, present and future of our program this weekend, and our players have been really psyched about it all week. We learned a lot from our match against Notre Dame, and now it's just about going out and executing. If we do that, we will have a really good weekend overall."
 
#UNMATCHED APPROACH
The Spartans enter the weekend with a 1-1 overall record after defeating Toledo by a 5-2 margin on the road in their season opener before dropping a dual match against Notre Dame in on Saturday, Jan. 21. MSU is led by five new student-athletes in the singles lineup, highlighted by North Texas transfer Liisa Vehvilainen, Dartmouth transfer Nicole Conard, and freshmen Juliette Nask, Issey Purser and Marley Lambert. On the doubles courts, the tandem of Ayshe Can and Vevhilainen boast the most victories on the roster with a 5-4 overall record, including a nationally ranked victory over Northwestern's No. 58 Clarissa Hand and Maria Shusharina during the fall campaign.
 
CELEBRATING TITLE IX & NGWSD
Michigan State Athletics and the Spartan women's tennis program have dedicated Friday evening's match to celebrating the Past, Present and Future of MSU women's tennis. In recognition and celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, be on the lookout for #TitleIX50 materials throughout the venue. The Green & White will also feature brand-new designs on their rackets this weekend, with the letters "IX" stenciled onto the strings in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Title IX. Additionally, MSU will recognize women's tennis alumni at the intermission between doubles and singles competition in an Alumni Day ceremony.
 
THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS
Under the direction of 11-year head coaching veteran Jeff Maren, Liberty enters Friday night's dual match boasting a 3-1 overall record highlighted by wins over Middle Tennessee, East Carolina and Longwood. The Flames dropped a 4-3 contest against Florida International on Sunday, Jan. 15, on the road in Fort Myers. Head Coach Ricardo Rosas leads Miami into the fray with a 3-4 overall record, most recently dropping a hard-fought 4-3 decision to Xavier at home on Jan. 29. The RedHawks had rattled off three straight dual match wins before falling to the Musketeers. Bowling Green and head coach Mike Bonnell arrive in mid-Michigan this weekend with a 1-3 mark in dual match action, defeating Holy Cross on opening day earlier last month before dropping three straight contests. The Falcons will compete against Cleveland State on Friday, Feb. 3, before making the trip to East Lansing.
 
MATCHDAY CENTRAL
All matches will be played at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center, with gates set to open one hour before the start of each match. Free admission is available for all fans. Fans are encouraged to park in Lot 98 immediately adjacent to the tennis center, or utilize the Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) bus system. Take bus route 38 and get off at the Westbound South Crescent before South Middlevale stop. The tennis center is a four-minute walk from that point.
 
FOLLOW THE SPARTANS
Visit MSUSpartans.com for more information on Michigan State women's tennis. Fans can keep up to date with the Spartan women's tennis team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by following @MSU_WTennis.

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