App State Tennis Faces Arkansas State, ULM this Weekend

BOONE, N.C. – The App State tennis team will travel to Jonesboro, Ark., to face Arkansas State on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET, followed by a match against ULM in Monroe, La., on Sunday, also at 11 a.m. ET.
 
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers defeated East Carolina 4-1 last Sunday. Despite conceding the doubles point, App State bounced back in singles play, winning four straight matches to secure their 10th victory of the season. Taya Powell and Savannah Dada-Mascoll earned the only doubles win for the Black and Gold from the No. 2 position, while the Mountaineers suffered losses in the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles matches.
 
Trailing by one point entering singles, App State ramped up the intensity. Alexi Cleveland ignited the rally with a straight-set victory from the No. 5 position. Olwyn Ryan-Bovey, Ruby Broadbent, and Powell followed suit, each securing straight-set wins to push the Mountaineers past the four-point mark and clinch the victory.
 
On the Mountaineers
Savannah Dada-Mascoll is currently 10-2 in singles this season, with all of her victories coming from the No. 1 position. 
 
Naledi Manyube has had a standout start, posting a 10-1 singles record and a 9-3 mark in doubles. During the Sun Belt opening weekend, she went a perfect 4-0 against Old Dominion and James Madison in both singles and doubles, helping lead the Mountaineers to their first SBC win of the season. Manyube has won eight straight singles matches, with her last loss occurring over a month ago against Charlotte.
 
For her strong performances against No. 48 South Alabama and Southern Miss, Manyube was named Sun Belt Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Week. She went 3-0 during the weekend, with two crucial singles wins from the No. 2 spot, where she remains unbeaten at 5-0.
 
Alexi Cleveland, primarily playing in positions four through six, has provided valuable depth for the Mountaineers. She holds a 7-3 singles record and is currently 3-0 in conference play.
 
Ryan-Bovey has been improving throughout the season, currently on a three-match singles win streak. She also holds a 9-5 doubles record, primarily playing from the No. 2 position.
 
On the Red Wolves
Arkansas State currently holds a 11-5 overall record (4-1 SBC), most recently defeating Georgia Southern 4-3 in Jonesboro, Ark. The Red Wolves finished last season with an 8-15 record (2-9 SBC), falling to Southern Miss in the first round of the 2024 Sun Belt Championships. Arkansas State returns four players from last year's squad and adds a fresh group of newcomers for the 2024-25 season.
 
On the Warhawks
ULM currently holds a 3-8 overall record (0-5 SBC), most recently falling to Coastal Carolina 4-0 in Monroe, La. The Warhawks finished last season with an 1-20 overall record (0-11 SBC), falling to Louisiana 1-4 in the first round of the 2024 Sun Belt Championships. ULM returns two players from last year's team, adding six newcomers for this season.
 
Next Up
App State will return to the High Country for the next four matches, facing Gardner-Webb (April 2), Coastal Carolina (April 5), Georgia Southern (April 6) and will close out the home schedule against Georgia State (April 12).
 
The 2024-25 tennis season is presented by Hound Ears Club.