DENVER – One of the interesting things about college tennis is how important an early September dual can be come late April.
 
On paper anyway, the MSU Denver tennis teams have some big duals this weekend in Pueblo, Colo., with both the men and the women squaring off against Lubbock Christian (Texas) and the women also facing both Fort Hays State (Kan.) and Dallas Baptist.
 
"I'm excited," MSU Denver coach Bruno Campos said. "We're going to face some tough competition. It's going to come down to how we start the match – if we can get the doubles point it will be huge carrying into singles."
 
The women play Lubbock Christian at 12:30 p.m. Friday before facing Fort Hays State at 4:30, then face Dallas Baptist on Saturday at 8:30 a.m.
 
The men will play an exhibition against a quality Pratt Community College (Kan.) program Friday at 4:30 p.m. before playing Lubbock Christian at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
 
Lubbock Christian was a first-year program last season, and is a well-supported and rapidly developing operation. The men finished 12-10, while the women were 14-11.
 
Both MSU Denver teams won 4-3 duals against Lubbock Christian. And though the win was an important one for NCAA Tournament consideration for the men – LCU qualified for the South Central Regional – it was one of several high-quality wins casually ignored by the Roadrunners' Pacific West Conference brethren (per league rules) when seeding for the PacWest Tournament was determined.
 
Regardless, the Lubbock Christian matchups will be an interesting starting point for 2023-24.
 
"Lubbock Christian definitely got better," said Campos, who was hired as MSU Denver's coach last month. "They recruited some big players. But (former MSU Denver coach) Josh (Graetz) also did a good job recruiting. It's going to be a good match. It'll be tough, but we can do it.
 
"The season is super long, and we've still got time. We can do it. We have the talent, but it's going to come down to how the kids perform. It's the little things, the intensity, the mental toughness. I'm expecting it to be 4-3 – for us hopefully. It's going to be a lot of close matches."
 
For the MSU Denver men, the 1-2-3 punch of Jeanloup Auzias, Juho Kantola and Alejandro Jimenez – with combined MSU Denver career records of 90-36 – compare favorably with any top three in the West Region. Auzias has been the Roadrunners' No. 1 singles player, but Kantola got early bragging rights last week in an individual tournament, defeating Auzias 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5).
 
"JL (Auzias) needed some time off over the summer, and that's fair," Campos said. "Tennis starts in the fall and goes all year. Juho played some tournaments over the summer, so he was more prepared. But JL will be ready. He's very competitive."
 
Meanwhile, transfer Emily Hafner starred last weekend, winning four matches for the A Draw championship.
 
"The sky is the limit for her," Campos said. "She's got experience as a fifth-year senior, and she loves the game. She comes from a tough conference, so the level isn't going to be new to her, especially with her style – she's a grinder. I'm pretty sure she's going to surprise some people."