Missouri State Takes Fourth At TOC Section Championship

A total of 16 teams competed at the Missouri Valley Section Championship, from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The teams were divided into four pools, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the championship bracket. The Bears were pooled with Kansas State, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Tulsa.

The tournament followed the World TeamTennis format. There are five sets — men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles — that consist of six games. The team with the most total games won wins the match.

“Every single one of us played our part in making this happen,” Schoening said.

Missouri State went 2-1 in pool play, then upset Washington University to secure a top-four finish and a spot in Nationals. The Bears finished fourth overall.

“Every year I have been to sectionals we would be in like the middle of the pack, placing ninth or 10th. This year we didn’t lose anyone from our team from the previous year so we came back just as strong and got a better seeding in the tournament then we normally do,” Schoening said. “[Washington University] has won the section championship the last three or four years and always has a very strong team, but we just kept our composure, trusted ourselves and pulled off an incredible win — which put most people that were watching in shock. So, yes, it was a goal [for us to qualify], but for sure a surprise that we did it.”

The USTA’s suspension of play in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has forced a cancellation of the 2020 USTA Tennis on Campus National Championship, originally scheduled for April 1-4. But the Bears haven’t given up hope on going to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, to play for the title.

“Hopefully, they will reschedule the National tournament or give us a bid for the future tournament so we can experience it since we will be losing two or three of our players at the end of the school year,” Schoening said.

This is Schoening’s fourth year with the club. He was treasurer in his sophomore year before moving up to vice-president and now president.

“I have been playing tennis since my freshman year of high school when I first picked up a racquet and developed a strong interest in the sport,” he said. “I’ve been playing ever since. Our club as a whole has a wide range of experience levels from people just learning how to play to people who have played for many years.”

Any Missouri State student can join the club.

“We are a very welcoming and relaxed group, and for anyone who wants to try and play tennis for the first time, or increase their skills and have fun doing it, should come join our club.”