Tennis | 4/6/2016 6:29:00 PM

MOORHEAD, Minn.. -– The Minnesota State University Moorhead women's tennis team will travel to Winona, Minn. this weekend to face Winona State and Upper Iowa in a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matchups in Winona, Minn. MSUM will face Winona State at 6 p.m. on Friday and then conclude the weekend against Upper Iowa on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

MSUM enters the week at 7-6 overall and 6-3 in the NSIC. The Dragons are in a strong position to qualify for the NSIC tournament, as they are alone in fifth place with two conference matches remaining. The top eight NSIC teams qualify.

Sophomore Ricquel Ramsbottom leads MSUM with a 9-3 singles mark, while junior Jessamy Jones is 9-4 and seniors Morgan Smith and Ashley Wood are 8-5. As a team MSUM is 47-31 in singles (.603) on the year.

In doubles, Jones and Wood have teamed up for an 8-5 mark, while Ramsbottom and Smith are 6-4.

Oliver Summers is in his fourth season as MSUM's head coach.

About Winona State
The Warriors have compiled a season record of 2-6, with a conference record of 2-4. Their last match was March 4, when they were defeated by St. Mary's University by a score of 4-5. The Warriors are led in singles play by Rachel Gantz, who has a season record of 6.2, and Justine Daane, who has a record of 5-3. In doubles play, they are led by Daane/Gantz, who have a 5-3 season record. The Warriors are led by head coach Heather Pierce, who is in her fifth season as head coach.

About Upper Iowa
The Peacocks have compiled a season record of 9-8, with a conference record of 8-1. They were last in action on April 3, when they lost to Augustana by a 9-0 score. The Peacocks are led in singles play by Kelly Jachymoski, who has a 9-8 record, and Saki Kawabata and Isabella Sella, who both have 9-7 records. In have an 8-1 record. The Peacocks are led by head coach Joey Barnes, who is in his fourth season as head coach.

Dragons Go 1-1 Last Week
MSUM was last in action last Saturday, when they faced Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State in Bismarck, N.D. The Dragons defeated the Golden Eagles 8-1, before losing a close 5-4 match to the Beavers to close the day.  MSUM was without starter Maria Moral Carretero, who was injured earlier in the week.

Against Minnesota-Crookston, the Dragons won two out of three doubles matches, and won all six singles matches. At No. 2 doubles, sophomores Jade Goodyear-Anderson ad Ricquel Ramsbottom defeated Bailey Morris and Reanne Erickson 8-0. Senior Morgan Smith and sophomore Jamie Freden also won their match 8-0.

Junior Jessamy Jones picked up a 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) win at No. 1 singles over Catherine Brown. The rest of the matches were Dragon victories, as the Dragons only lost four games the rest of the way.

Against Bemidji State, the Dragons won just one doubles match, when Wood and Jones beat Morgan Opp and Zoe Lindgren 8-4 at the No.1 slot. The Beavers won by identical 8-4 scores at the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles.  The Dragons went 3-3 in singles matches, with Jones, Goodyear-Anderson, and Ramsbottom all picking up wins.