By: Joseph Hovey
Kennesaw State (9-5, 1-0 CUSA) vs. New Mexico State (7-8, 0-0 CUSA)
Huntsville, TX | Beckner Tennis Center | Friday, April 3 | 2 p.m. EDT
Kennesaw State at Sam Houston (8-11, 3-1 CUSA)
Huntsville, TX | Beckner Tennis Center | Saturday, April 4 | 12 p.m. EDT
KENNESAW, Ga. — Kennesaw State women's tennis plays its final road matches of the regular season at New Mexico State and Sam Houston April 3-4 in Huntsville, Texas.
AWARD WINNERS
KSU swept Conference USA's weekly women's tennis awards with
Ema Baraniakova named Athlete of the Week, and the tandem of Baraniakova and
Sofia Madrid named Doubles Team of the Week, the league announced on Wednesday.
A week ago, Baraniakova became the first Owl to garner a CUSA women's tennis athlete of the week honor. This week, the junior from Leopoldov, Slovakia, becomes the first-ever KSU player to win such an award in back-to-back weeks.
The Owls have not won a league's women's tennis athlete of the week award in consecutive weeks since February 19 and 26, 2014, in the ASUN.
Baraniakova and Madrid went undefeated in No. 1 doubles play through two matches a week ago versus No. 55 Georgia Tech and Middle Tennessee.
Against the Yellow Jackets, Baraniakova and Madrid helped KSU win the doubles point with a 6-4 win over Alejandra Cruz and Seri Nayuki, the nation's No. 77-ranked pair.
While the Owls lost the match to Georgia Tech, they delivered the Yellow Jackets' first doubles defeat in six matches, something No. 44 Notre Dame, No. 21 Virginia, No. 34 Charlotte and No. 43 Penn State had been unable to do.
Baraniakova and Madrid continued their doubles momentum with a quick 6-0 defeat of the Blue Raiders' Sara Conde and Cara Szilasi in KSU's 4-3 win over MTSU.
The Owl pairing is now 9-4 on the season with wins in eight of their last 10 matches.
In singles play, Baraniakova went 1-1 a week ago, with a 6-1, 6-3 court-one win over MTSU's Zora Koenig.
SERIES HISTORY
KSU and NM State meet for the first time on Friday in the second season the two teams have shared CUSA membership. The Aggies finished fifth in the league at 13-9 (2-2) in 2025. The Owls beat Sam Houston 5-2 in their first meeting a season ago.
KNOW THE FOE
NM State has dropped two of its last three matches with defeats of 4-0 and 4-1 at UNLV and Middle Tennessee, respectively, as well as a 4-0 win at Belmont. The Aggies are 25-28 (.472) in singles play and 12-17 (.414) in doubles.
Sam Houston has won three of its four CUSA matches to this point, most recently recording a 7-0 win over Missouri State. The Bearkats have also defeated WKU (5-2) and MTSU (5-2), while falling to Louisiana Tech (6-1). Sam Houston is 39-45 (.464) in singles and 13-21 (.382) in doubles.
The Champions Fund
The Champions Fund is a newly created, 100% tax deductible, philanthropic opportunity to contribute strategic revenue to Kennesaw State Athletics, with the goal of strengthening our ability to recruit and retain top-tier talent in this new era of collegiate athletics. Contributions to the Champions Fund will help aid in funding student-athlete recruitment and retention, as well as helping the Owls provide competitive excellence through investments in coaching, travel and facilities. The fund will also give an elevated student-athlete experience, including enhanced academic, nutrition, wellness and leadership programs. Donate to the Champions Fund here and help us support our Kennesaw State Owls.
