Western Wayne Today

The Wayne State University women's tennis team, holding a 20-5 record, has been seeded seventh by the NCAA and is set to compete against Washburn University, also with a 20-5 record, in the opening round of the NCAA Finals. The match is scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m. at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Florida. This marks Wayne State's third appearance at the NCAA Finals.

In their first appearance in 2014, Wayne State faced Armstrong Atlantic State and lost 5-0. Yahsha Moore, now the interim head coach, was part of that team playing both first doubles and No. 1 singles. Last year, Wayne State secured its first win at the NCAA Finals by defeating Indiana (Pa.) 4-1 but later lost to Hawaii Pacific in the quarterfinals.

Currently on a winning streak of 12 matches since March 20th, Wayne State's recent victories include a notable win over Division I Oakland University and triumphs in the GLIAC tournament and NCAA Midwest Regional matches. Anais Ruyssen leads the team as GLIAC Player of the Year with significant contributions from players like Malak Arafat and Marta Komar.

Washburn University's team has had mixed results recently with a record of three wins and two losses in their last five matches. Maja Jung stands out as Central Region Senior Player of the Year with an impressive singles record.

Earlier this year, Washburn defeated Wayne State 4-1 during their meeting in Indianapolis. The winner of Monday's match will advance to face either Nova Southeastern or Indiana (Pa.) in the national quarterfinals on Tuesday.