Western Wayne Today

Wayne State University's women's tennis team is set to conclude its brief home stand with a match against Oakland University on Sunday, March 24. The game will take place at the Duchene Athletic Facility and marks the final non-conference event of the season for Wayne State.

The Warriors aim to break a two-match losing streak, having recently faced a narrow 4-3 defeat against Tiffin University. Despite singles victories from Marta Komar, Dea Gorgidze, and Shanice Weekes, Wayne State lost the doubles point, which was decisive in their loss to Tiffin.

Currently ranked 11th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), Wayne State dropped from third place in the latest rankings released on March 20. This drop follows their first home loss of 2024. Four players from Wayne State are featured in both national singles and doubles rankings: Anais Ruyssen ranks 16th in singles, while Komar, Martyna Szpakowska, and Malak Arafat also hold positions within the top 100.

Ruyssen and Komar are ranked fourth in doubles nationally. Arafat and Szpakowska moved up to 35th this week. The ITA will release another round of rankings on March 27.

Oakland University enters Sunday's match with a record of four wins out of eleven matches this season. Their recent match resulted in a 5-2 loss at Bowling Green. The last official meeting between Wayne State and Oakland occurred on March 27, 2012, with Wayne State securing an 8-1 victory.

David Brown leads Oakland's women's tennis program as head coach for his first season. Brown previously coached at Peachtree Tennis Club and played for Oakland during its GLIAC membership.