SIOUX FALLS – The University of Sioux Falls Tennis Team (9-4, 5-2 NSIC), will wrap up the home season by hosting a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches against Winona State and Upper Iowa on Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25 at the Huether Family Match Pointe. USF will host Winona State on Senior Night at 6:30 p.m., Saturday before welcoming Upper Iowa on Sunday at 9 a.m.

USF has opened 9-4, including 5-2 NSIC, and return to league play after going 2-2 during a spring break trip to Orlando, Fla. The Cougars have a 5-1 record at home, all NSIC matches. The Cougars, directed by head coach Kevin Grebin (51-48, 31-30 in NSIC), sit in fourth place in the NSIC, two wins out of first place. This season, the Cougars are 39-39 overall in singles matches, including 22-20 in the NSIC. They are 24-15 in doubles with a 14-7 mark in league competition.

USF Tennis program to honor Cortney McCans on Senior Night
Cortney McCans, a senior exercise major from Kingman, Ariz., has been one of the leaders on the team for the past two seasons.  The daughter of Jeff and Misty McCans has a 17-17 career record in singles, playing at No. 5 and No. 6. In league play, she has a 7-10 mark. McCans also has a 6-7 career mark in doubles, including 5-4 in league play. This season, McCans is 5-8, including 2-5 in league play, at No. 6 singles for USF, which is off to the 9-4 start. At USF, she has been on a team that finished 12-8 and reached the NSIC Tournament semifinals in 2015-16. Overall, she has helped lead USF to a 37-29 record, including 22-18 in the NSIC.

Jefferies continues impressive play at No. 1 singles
Redshirt freshman Chloe Jefferies has put together the best start to a season by a USF Women's Tennis player in the NCAA DII era. After going 2-2 on spring break, Jefferies is 10-3 at #1 singles in a dominant run. She has a 6-1 mark in NSIC play, the best on the squad. She 1-1 in tiebreakers with a 7-6, 1-6, 14-12 in over Erin Streeter of Minnesota State on Feb. 9 and a 6-1, 5-7, 7-10 loss to Kristine Gregeshidze of Charleston on March 14. Earlier this spring, Jefferies became just the second USF player in program DII history to earn NSIC Player of the Week honors.

Three times, Jefferies has had 6-0, 6-0 decisions and captured straight-set wins in nine of 13 matches. In fact, she has lost two or fewer games in eight of her victories.
In addition, she has teamed with freshman Megan Quandt at No. 1 doubles to improve to go 7-4 on the season, including 5-2 in league play.  The Jefferies/Quandt tandem has recorded victories in three of the past six matches.

At No. 2 singles, Quandt, who was 1-3 during spring break play, stands 2-11 overall and 1-6 in NSIC play in singles. Aside from the doubles play with Jefferies, Quandt and freshman Lexi Miller have a 1-1 record.

Miller and Sanders playing consistent tennis and Klatt is team-best 9-4 in doubles

At No. 3 singles, freshman Lexi Miller owns a 6-7 overall record, including 4-3 in the NSIC. In her last 10 matches, Miller is 5-5. She has been involved in five matches decided by a tie-breaker. Most recently, Miller registered a 6-2, 5-7 10-8 decision over Giovanna Bonito of Bloomsburg as she is now 4-1 in tiebreakers. Miller was 2-2 during spring break. In doubles, she and fellow freshman Joelle Thorfinnson have a 6-5 mark, including 4-3 in league play. She recently has teamed with Quandt in a pair of doubles matches and they had a 1-1 mark.
 
At No. 4 singles, sophomore Kelsie Sanders is now 5-6 after going 2-2 during spring break. She is 3-2 in league play and has a 5-5 mark over her past 10 matches.
At No. 3 doubles, Sanders and Rachel Klatt stand 6-4 overall and 3-2 in league play.

Klatt stands 2-0 in singles play (No. 6 singles) and has a team-high 9-4 overall doubles record, including 5-2 in the NSIC.  Aside from her pairing at doubles with Sanders, she is 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the league with senior Cortney McCans.

Thorfinnson opens collegiate career at 9-4
in her first collegiate season, Joelle Thorfinnson has continued to shine at No. 5 singles after moving to 9-4, including 5-2 in the league, after a 2-2 mark on spring break.  She has recorded straight-set victories in eight of her nine singles victories. She is also 7-6 in doubles, including 4-3 in conference play. She has a 6-5 doubles mark at No. 2 doubles with Lexi Miller and is 1-1 at No. 1 singles with Jefferies.

Team Notes – Cougars picked 8th in league
Overall, USF, which was picked to finish eighth in the NSIC preseason coaches' poll, has had a .500 or better record in two of the last three seasons. The Cougars have received the President's Award for Academic Excellence and earned two straight ITA All-Academic Team honors.
   
Opponent Breakdown – Winona State, Upper Iowa
On Saturday, USF faces Winona State, which is tied for first with Augustana at 7-0 in league play. The Warriors are 10-1 overall with just a 5-3 loss to Christian Brothers. Most recently WSU, directed by sixth-year head coach Heather Reilly, has defeated Upper Iowa, 8-1 and also own NSIC wins over Minnesota Duluth, 6-3; St. Cloud State, 7-2; Southwest Minnesota State, 8-1, Minnesota State, 8-1; Bemidji State, 6-3; and Minnesota Crookston, 9-0.  On Sunday, WSU will face Augustana in Sioux Falls.
USF trails the all-time series with WSU, 4-2. A year ago, the Warriors defeated USF, 9-0 on April 2, 2017 in Winona Minnesota. However, USF defeated the Warriors, 8-1, two years ago in Sioux Falls. In 2015, USF took a 6-3 win over WSU at Winona. In 2013-14 WSU took a 7-2 decision. In 2013, WSU defeated USF, 9-0 at Owatonna, Minn., and also won 9-0 in 2012 at Owatonna, Minn.

On Sunday, the Cougars will host Upper Iowa, directed by second year coach Leo Millet, whose team is 1-7 overall, including 1-6 in league play. The Peacocks' only win is a 7-2 verdict over Minnesota Crookston. They lost to Bemidji State, 5-4; Southwest Minnesota State, 6-3; Minnesota State, 7-2; Minnesota Duluth, 7-2; St. Cloud State, 8-1; Winona State, 8-1 and will face Augustana on March 24. 

In the all-time series with USF, Upper Iowa owns a 6-1 edge over USF. A year ago, Upper Iowa defeated USF, 8-1 at Winona, Minn. In 2015-16, UIU defeated the Cougars, 5-4, in the regular season in Sioux Falls and 5-1 in the NSIC Tourney in Minnetonka, Minn., in 2015-16.  In 2014-15, the Peacocks prevailed over USF, 7-2 at Winona, Minn. During the 2013-14 season, UIU recorded a 5-4 win in Sioux Falls. In 2012, UIU took an 8-1 verdict at Owatonna, Minn.