Harding Men's Tennis

#47 Harding (5-4) vs. #16 Northwest Missouri State (8-1)

Location: Bolivar, Mo. (Southwest Baptist University courts)

Time: Friday, Mar. 28, 1 p.m.

Series: HU leads 2-1

Coaches: Harding – Marco Ruiz (5-4, 1st season at Harding); Northwest Missouri State – Mark Rosewell (32nd season at NWMSU).

No. 47 Harding will take on its fifth straight nationally-ranked opponent and its highest-ranked foe of the season Friday when it meets No. 16 Northwest Missouri State at 1 p.m. at the Southwest Baptist courts in Bolivar, Mo.

Harding and Northwest Missouri State will be meeting for the fourth time. The Bisons won the first meeting 5-1 in 1985 and won 6-3 in 1987. The teams did not play again until last season when No. 22 Northwest Missouri won 9-0 in Maryville, Mo.

Harding enters the match with two players ranked in the Central Region. Mathaus Spiering is ranked No. 5 and Jon Mark Rowden is ranked No. 20. Northwest Missouri has four regionally-ranked players. Sergio de Vilchez is ranked No. 2 in the region and No. 20 in NCAA II. Romain Boissinot is ranked No. 7 in the region, Alvaro Riveras is No. 12, and Luis Altimires is No. 15.

Harding's doubles team of Rowden and Spiering is ranked No. 4 in the region. Northwest Missouri has two regionally-ranked teams. Altimires and de Vilchez are No. 2 in the region and No. 12 in NCAA II, and Riveras and Couronne are No. 8.

Harding and Northwest Missouri have played three common opponents—Nebraska-Kearney, Drury, and Missouri-St. Louis. Harding went 0-3 against the trio, while Northwest Missouri is 2-1 against them, losing only to Drury.

Neither Harding (Great American Conference) or Northwest Missouri (MIAA) has played a conference match this season.

UNIVERSAL TENNIS RANKINGS POTENTIAL MATCHUPS (based on most-used singles lineups this season)