WICHITA, Kan. – The Metropolitan State University of Denver men's and women's tennis teams made the most of the first leg of their grueling road trip with the men defeating Newman (Kan.), 5-0, and the women avenging a loss from earlier in the season, 5-2, at Riverside Park on Monday.

The MSU Denver men improve to 3-7 overall and snap a four-match skid while the women climb to 6-8 overall after ending their five-match winless streak.

The Roadrunners on the men's side played with determination, and it showed early on in their dual match.

"The guys took care of business today, which was great to see," coach Josh Graetz said. "Their energy and focus stayed high, which ultimately decided the match."

Senior Joey Tscherne and junior Mateo Besada routed sophomore Arthur Esteves Justo and junior Lauri Soome in No. 1 doubles by a score of 6-1.

Junior Alejandro Martinez-Morilla and freshman David Kijak also had a quality victory in No. 2 doubles, besting seniors Blake Crawford and Szbin Pusztay, 6-3.

Tscherne later went on to defeat Crawford in No. 1 singles, 6-4, 6-2.

Sophomore Daniel Llorente didn't take long to outscore Soome in No. 2 singles, winning in straight sets, 6-2, while Besada came away with a 6-2, 6-4, win over Pusztay in No. 4 singles.

Elsewhere in singles play, Kijak gutted out his No. 5 singles win. Kijak needed an extended first set to outlast junior Marcel Miasato, 7-6 (4), before running away with a 6-2 triumph in the second.

On the women's side, Graetz was very satisfied with their performance against the Jets.

"I'm really excited for the girls today," Graetz said. "We played a really complete match, and our discipline really showed in the big moments. We lost to Newman in the fall so it just shows the improvement we have made as a team."

Sophomore Alex Pessoa and freshman Helena Steenberg received a little pushback from junior Liza Gerasimova and senior Emily Wise but prevailed in No. 1 doubles, 6-4.

Things were a little easier for the Roadrunners in No. 3 doubles, where freshman Olivia Kaiser and junior Eliza McKean cruised to a 6-1 win over junior Vlada Litvinova and freshman Mirella D'Angelo Calvalcanti.

The MSU Denver women had mixed degrees of victories in singles play.

Junior Tabitha Porter easily displaced Gerasimova, 6-0, 6-1, in No. 1 singles, and McKean did the same against senior Mariana Gaviria in No. 5 singles with her 6-1, 6-0 victory.

However, Steenberg had a thrilling come-from-behind win in No. 3 singles. After losing the first set to freshman Isabela Campos Bifano, 6-4, Steenberg endured and eventually eked out a 7-6 (5) win in the second set to even the score at a set apiece.

With the momentum on her side, Steenberg took the deciding third set by a margin of 6-4.

Junior Ainsley Winterrowd had an extended first set of her own against D'Angelo Calvalcanti in No. 6 singles but succeeded in winning that frame, 7-5. The second set proved to not be a sophomore slump for Winterrowd, claiming that set, 6-1.

The Newman men fall to 5-11, and the Newman women drop to 9-9 on the year.

The MSU Denver men and women next travel to Kansas City, Mo., to face Rockhurst (Mo.) on Tuesday at 1 p.m. MT. The Hawks have respective records of 8-6 and 7-6.

Men
MSU Denver 5, Newman 0
Doubles

1. Joey Tscherne/Mateo Besada (MSUD) def. Arthur Esteves Justo/Lauri Soome (NU) 6-1
2. Alejandro Martinez-Morilla/David Kijak (MSUD) def. Blake Crawford/Szbin Pusztay (NU) 6-3
3. Marcel Miasato/Teodor Antelj (NU) def. Daniel Llorente/Kacey Walisundara (MSUD) 6 (6)-7 (8)

Singles

1. Joey Tscherne (MSUD) def. Blake Crawford (NU) 6-4, 6-2
2. Daniel Llorente (MSUD) def. Lauri Soome (NU) 6-2, 6-2
3. Alejandro Martinez-Morilla (MSUD) vs. Teodor Antelj (NU) 6-2, 5-3 unfinished
4. Mateo Besada (MSUD) def. Szbin Pusztay (NU) 6-2, 6-4
5. David Kijak (MSUD) def. Marcel Miasato (NU) 7-6 (4), 6-2
6. Kacey Walisundara (MSUD) vs. Ian Clifton (NU) did not play

 
Women
MSU Denver 5, Newman 2
Doubles

1. Alex Pessoa/Helena Steenberg (MSUD) def. Liza Gerasimova/Emily Wise (NU) 6-4
2. Isabela Campos Bifano/Emily Young (NU) def. Tabitha Porter/Mackenzie Hotan (MSUD) 6-3
3. Olivia Kaiser/Eliza McKean (MSUD) def. Vlada Litvinova/Mirella D'Angelo Calvalcanti (NU) 6-1

Singles

1. Tabitha Porter (MSUD) def. Liza Gerasimova (NU) 6-0, 6-1
2. Vlada Litvinova (NU) def. Alex Pessoa (MSUD) 6-1, 6-4
3. Helena Steenberg (MSUD) def. Isabela Campos Bifano (NU) 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4
4. Emily Young (NU) def. Olivia Kaiser (MSUD) 6-2, 6-3
5. Eliza McKean (MSUD) def. Mariana Gaviria (NU) 6-1, 6-0
6. Ainsley Winterrowd (MSUD) def. Mirella D'Angelo Calvalcanti (NU) 7-5, 6-1