GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University men's and women's tennis teams will head outside for the first time this spring when they both head to Arizona and the metropolitan Phoenix for a set of three matches this weekend.
 
The Maverick squads will both take on Western New Mexico in a key NCAA Division II South Central Regional neutral court encounters on Friday at noon at the Paseo Racquet Club in Glendale.  The Mavs will then make the jaunt to the nearby Surprise Tennis Center in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise for a Friday evening match-up with NAIA Ottawa University of Arizona, scheduled for 5 p.m.
 
The Mavs will then head back to the Paseo Racquet Club to take on another NAIA foe in Arizona Christian on Saturday.  Those matches are now scheduled for noon.
 
Daily recaps for both the men and the women will be posted on www.cmumavericks.com late each night.
 
Last Time Out (Men)
 
The Maverick men went 1-2 in their trip to Kearney, Nebraska last Friday and Saturday.  They crushed NAIA Hastings College 7-0 in the weekend opener before dropping a 4-3 heartbreaker later Friday night to Northwest Missouri State.
 
The Mavs then dropped a 6-1 decision to the host Nebraska-Kearney Lopers on Saturday.
 
CMU is now 1-4 overall this spring.
 
Henry Scheck, Emil Hultman and William Leschig all went 2-1 in singles play throughout the weekend while Leschig and Scheck paired together for a 3-0 mark in the top doubles flight.  Hultman and partner Diogo Manzano also went 2-1 at No. 2 doubles.

played their first two duals of the season last Saturday, taking on Division I Idaho State in Pocatello in a doubleheader.  The Bengals won both matches 7-0.
 
Last Time Out (Women)
 
The Maverick women had a similar 2-1 record throughout the trip to Nebraska.  They were also dominant 7-0 winners over Hastings before falling 5-2 to Northwest Missouri State on Friday.
 
The Mavs then fell 5-2 to Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday morning to wrap up the weekend.
 
The Mavs posted winning records in both singles and doubles throughout the weekend, going a combined 10-8 in singles and 5-4 in doubles.
 
Delia Maier was a perfect 3-0 at No. 4 singles while Valentina Gonzalez and Devyn Rodrigues both went 2-1.
 
The Mavs' No. 2 and 3 doubles teams also both went 2-1 with Maier teaming up with Catalina Ballon at No. 2 while Gonzalez and fellow freshman Sophie Hartman continuing to join forces at No. 3.
 
Why Friday afternoon matters
 
All of this weekend's results will go on the Mavs team and individual records, but Friday's neutral-site match-ups with Western New Mexico will have added significance as they will be the first of four matches that Mavs are scheduled to play against Lone Star Conference foes, which count heavily in the official NCAA Regional Ranking process.
 
Four men's and four women's teams from the region will be selected for the regional portion of the NCAA Tournament at the end of the season.  The Mavs, playing as independents, will be fighting it out with the 11 women's and nine men's Lone Star Conference teams for those spots and head-to-head wins will play a major role in that possibility.  CSU Pueblo's women, a team the Mavs will play later in April, are also in the region as an independent.
 
Additionally, the Mavs have several matches against NCAA Division II teams from neighboring regions that will count on the "in-region" slate under the NCAA Division II Regionalization and Contiguous State policies.  CMU's women currently have a 2-1 "in-region" record with wins over CSU Pueblo and Fort Hays State of Kansas in the fall before falling to Nebraska-Kearney last week.
 
They are 2-2 against Division II opposition, which is also a factor of the regional selection process.

The Maverick men have played just one "in-region" match against Nebraska-Kearney thus far.  They are 0-2 against Division II opposition thus far.
 
The Mar. 6-7 weekend will be the most important of the Mavs' season and is when they will face three LSC opponents in Cameron, St. Mary's and Lubbock Christian in Lubbock, Texas.
 
Matches against teams from outside of NCAA Division II, such as this weekend's affairs with OUAZ and Arizona Christian have no impact, positive or negative, on the selection process.
 
ITA Rankings
 
The Mavericks' fall success translated into some strong rankings in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) national and regional rankings.
 
Devyn Rodriguez ended the fall ranked 35^th in the national singles rankings and was fourth in the West Region rankings on the women's side.
 
Jade Brilhante was also slotted 14^th in the regional singles rankings.
 
In doubles, Ballon and Maier are ranked fourth in the West region while Hartman and Gonzalez are tabbed seventh.
 
On the men's side, Henry Scheck and William Leschig are ranked fifth in the doubles rankings.  Emil Hultman and Scheck are ranked 19^th and 20^th in the regional singles rankings.
 
Fantastic Freshman
 
The Maverick all-freshman doubles team of Valentina Gonzalez and Sophie Hartman has been solid this season and reached double figures for wins over the weekend.  They are now 10-4 overall and have  team-best 5-3 mark in the team's duals matches this fall and spring.
 
As mentioned above, they ended the fall ranked seventh in the ITA's West Regional Rankings.
 
Stellar Junior
 
Meanwhile, Maverick junior Devyn Rodriguez has put together a solid season at the top of the Maverick singles lineup.  Rodriguez is now 11-5 overall record and split a pair of matches against regionally-ranked opponents from the Central Region last week to move her dual meet mark to 4-4, including a 4-3 mark in the top flight.  Two of her losses came against Division I Idaho State.
 
Half Century and Top 10 Swede
 
Maverick senior Emil Hultman won a pair of singles matches last weekend, the 50^th and 51^st single wins of his career.  The Swede is now 51-32 in singles play throughout his career and is just one more win away from reaching double figures for the third straight year.  He is a team-best 9-4 this season after leading the team with an 18-9 record in singles play last year.
 
He is now tied for eight in CMU history for career singles wins and is one of just ten Mavericks to have ever reached the 50-win milestone.
 
Hultman also split a pair of matches against top-10 ranked opponents from the Central Region last week.
 
Streaky Doubles Squad
 
The Maverick top doubles team of Henry Schek and William Leschig won all three of their matches in the top flight last week.  The all-senior duo is now a team-best 8-4 this season and has a 3-2 record in team matches.
 
Both also went 2-1 in singles last weekend.
 
Know Your Men's Foes
 
Western New Mexico
 
The Mustangs went 2-0 on their official 2026 opening day, claiming 4-2 and 4-3 wins over Southeastern Oklahoma State and Delta State of Mississippi last Friday in neutral-site matches played in Dallas, Texas.  A third weekend match against Northeastern State on Saturday was canceled.

They will play Arizona Christian and Ottawa on Thursday before facing the Mavs to complete their weekend trip to Arizona.
 
Previously, WNMU had lost three exhibition duals to New Mexico and Northern Arizona (twice) in January by 6-1 and 7-0 scorelines.
 
Last year's Mustang team went 6-8 overall and 2-6 in Lone Star Conference play and did not qualify for the LSC Tournament.
 
Sophomore Mael Houee and freshman Chirstopher Lund-Kuhl were the Mustangs' representatives on the LSC's Preseason Tennis Players to watch list.
 
Ottawa University of Arizona
 
The OAUZ Spirit have had a busy spring thus far and have already played seven duals with two more to come against Western New Mexico and Bethel (Kan.) on Thursday and Friday mornings, respectively.  They are currently 1-6 with a Feb. 4 road win at NCAA Division III Whittier.
 
Razvan Lazar and Arvid Lindblad ended the fall ranked sixth and ninth, respectively, according to the ITA's NAIA West Regional Rankings.  Fabian Wetter was tabbed 18^th.  Lazar and Lindblad were also ranked third in doubles while Wetter and partner Maximiliano Lopez Gonzales were eighth.  Lazar and Lindblad were also ranked 25^th in the NAIA national rankings for doubles.
 
Last year's team finished 5-11 overall and went 1-1 in the Red River Postseason Tournament.
 
Arizona Christian
 
The Firestorm are off to a strong 3-1 start this spring and will host Bethel (Kan.) and Western New Mexico on Thursday and NCAA Division I Lipscomb on Friday before taking on the Mavs on Saturday. 
 
They are currently ranked 22^nd in the ITA's NAIA National Team Rankings, published last week (Feb. 12).  They are also the top "receiving votes" team and just outside of the Top 25 of the NAIA Men's Tennis Poll conducted by a panel of NAIA coaches from around the country.  The ITA rankings are computerized.

Hugo Abril is ranked eighth nationally in the ITA's singles rankings while Sam Miyata and Lennert Lemahieu are 22^nd and 43^rd, respectively, based on fall tournament action.    Miyata and Petar Wemmenhove are ranked 22^nd in doubles.
 
On a regional level, Abril is ranked first in the ITA's NAIA West Region rankings while six Firestorm players are all in the top 16.  Abril and Lemahieu are also first in doubles while Miyata and Wemmenhove are second ahead of Toby Frantz and Adrian Smith, who are ranked sixth.
 
Abril is currently 3-0 at No. 1 singles this spring while Fenosoa Rasendra also has a 3-0 record with two starts at No. 5 and another win at No. 2.  Lemahieu and Wemmenhove are 3-0 as a doubles pair in the top flight while Abril and Miyata have been playing together this spring at No. 2.  They are also off to a 2-0 spring start.
 
Know Your Women's Foes

Western New Mexico
 
The Mustang women are currently 1-2 against fellow NCAA Division II opposition and will take on both Arizona Christian and Ottawa (Ariz.) on Thursday before wrapping up their stay in Arizona against the Mavs on Friday.
 
They opened with an in-region 4-0 win over CSU Pueblo in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Feb. 1 and then dropped 4-0 decisions to both Southeastern Oklahoma State and Delta State (Miss.) in Dallas Texas, last Friday.
 
They also played New Mexico and Northern Arizona in exhibition matches early this spring.
 
Josefina Bailetti ended the fall ranked 15^th in the ITA's NCAA Division II South Central Regional Rankings.  She and freshman Eva Guta were the Mustangs' two representatives on the Lone Star Conference's Preseason Women's Players to Watch list.

Last year's Mustang squad went 3-14 overall and 1-9 in Lone Star Conference matches.
 
OUAZ
 
The OUAZ Women are currently 0-3 and will host Western New Mexico on Thursday and Bethel (Kan.) on Friday morning before taking on the Mavs that evening.  Their three previous matches came on a Feb. 5-7 trip to southern California, where they lost 4-3 to NCAA Division II Chapman, 7-0 to Division II Biola and 4-0 to Division III Redlands.
 
Martina Antich, Michelle Pugh and Antonia Kostoff all have a singles win to their credit in the top three flights thus far.  The team is a combined 3-12 in singles play thus far.  Antich and Pugh have their Spirit's lone doubles win at No. 1 against Chapman.
 
The Spirit were receiving votes in the preseason edition of the NAIA Women's Tennis Poll but dropped out in the first regular season poll, announced last week (Feb. 11).
 
Antich, Pugh and Kostoff are ranked second, fifth and seventh, respectively in the ITA's NAIA West Region singles rankings, published after the fall season, while Nikola Rusinova sits 19^th.  Antich and Pugh are second in the doubles rankings while Kostoff and Sienna Johnson are ranked eighth.
 
Antich is also ranked 17^th nationally in the ITA rankings while Pugh and Kostoff with 37^th and 44^th, respectively.
 
Antich and Pugh are also ranked 20^th in the ITA's NAIA National doubles rankings.
 
Last year's squad finished 10-6 and won the Golden States Athletic Conference Championship while going 4-0 in conference play during the regular season.  They then fell 4-1 to Xavier (La.) in the first round of the NAIA National Championship.
 
Antich finished the 2025 season on a 7-match winning streak and went 8-2, mostly at No. 2 with spot starts in the top flight.
 
Arizona Christian
 
The Firestorm are currently 1-1 but will host Bethel and Western New Mexico on Thursday before facing the Mavs.
 
They won 7-0 at NCAA Division III Whittier last Friday before dropping a 5-2 decision to Champman on Saturday.  They won every singles and doubles match against Whittier and picked up wins at No. 5 and 6 singles as well as No. 3 doubles from Eloise Bigot and Ava Zink in doubles.
 
Bigot, who played at No. 2 singles against Whittier and in the fifth flight against Chapman, is 2-0 as is Savannah Salvin, who made starts at No. 3 and 6.
 
The Firestorm finished 9-7 last year and went 2-1 in Golden States Athletic Conference play during the regular season and also 2-1 in the conference tournament, including a consolation win.
 
They have six players in the ITA's NAIA West Region singles rankings after the fall tournament season, led by No. 4 Eloise Diligent and No. 8 Ana Alvarez, who also hold down the No. 30 and 45 spots, nationally.  Bigot and Diligent are sixth in the regional doubles rankings while Gracie Madeya and Savannah Salvin are tenth.
 
Series Histories (Men)
 
The Maverick men have met Western New Mexico at least once every spring since 2006 in a long-time regional rivalry.  Both teams had been part of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, which no longer sponsors the sport.  The last 11 match-ups have been in neutral locations, including each of the last three in Arizona.
 
WNMU leads the overall series 25-3 and has won the last five after CMU won 2020 and 2021 matches by 6-1 scores.  WNMU took a 4-2 decision on Feb. 14 last season.
 
The Mavs are 3-2 against Ottawa and have met the Spirit in each of the last five Februarys in Arizona.  The Mavs have won the last three matches, including a 4-0 win on Feb. 15 of last year.
 
The Mavs are 5-4 all-time against Arizona Christian with all seven matches being around the Phoenix metropolitan area since 2013.  They have played in each of the last five years, all in mid-February.  The Mavs have won the last two meetings, including a 4-3 thriller on Feb. 14 of last year.
 
Series Histories (Women's)
 
The Mavs hold a 22-8 record against Western New Mexico and were former rivals in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, when the conference sponsored the sport.  That rivalry has continued as both teams have modified their conference affiliations as the teams have met at least once every spring since 2006, meeting up in various neutral-site locations for the last ten match-ups, including in Arizona in February of the last five.
 
The Mavs have won five of the last six match and were 4-0 victors on Feb. 14 last year.
 
The Maverick women are 3-1 against OUAZ having played them in February in four of the last five years.  They won 4-1 last year on Feb. 15.
 
The Mavs are 8-2 all-time against Arizona Christian and have won the last six matchups over five years since 2021.  The two teams have played every February since 2021 and met on back-to-back days in 2023, which were both 7-0 Maverick victories.  CMU won 5-2 last year.
 
Alumni Reunion
 
The Mavericks will host a CMU Tennis Alumni Reunion next weekend in conjunction with the Mavs' home matches on Feb. 27 and 28.
 
All former Maverick players are invited.  For all of the details and to RSVP, please visit here.

Colorado Mesa turns 100
 
The CMU Century Celebration stands as the cornerstone of Colorado Mesa University's year-long centennial celebration. This ambitious initiative unites our community in honoring a rich heritage while boldly envisioning the next hundred years of academic excellence.

Led by the Steering Committee and six specialized sub-committees, we're orchestrating a transformative experience that will resonate through generations. Each committee brings unique expertise to create an unforgettable commemoration of our past, present and future.
 
To learn more about Colorado Mesa's 100-year celebration, visit cmucentury.com.
 
Up Next
 
The Mavericks will return home to the Elliott Tennis Center for matches next weekend.  The Maverick women will take on Division I Utah Tech at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27 before facing Colorado College at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28.  Those two opponents will play one another on Saturday at 10 a.m.
 
The Maverick women will have only one other home match the rest of the season, which will come on Apr. 18 against CSU Pueblo in their regular season finale.
 
Meanwhile, the Maverick men will take on Colorado College in Saturday, Feb. 28 doubleheader at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.  Those will be the Mavs' only home men's matches of the entire season.