LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's and women's tennis teams travel to Youngstown State on Friday and Saturday. The Red Flash men face YSU on Friday at 4 p.m. The Red Flash women play Youngstown State on Saturday at 4 p.m. following a neutral-site match against Western Illinois at 10 a.m.
 
The Matchup: Saint Francis men (1-6) at Youngstown State men (2-4)
Location: YSU Indoor Tennis Center (Youngstown, Ohio)
Date and Time: Friday at 4 p.m.

SCOUTING THE PENGUINS
The Youngstown State men enter the match with a 2-4 record. After dropping the first four matches to begin the season, the Penguins won back-to-back matches against Toledo and Xavier last weekend. YSU beat Toledo by a convincing 6-1 margin and Xavier by a 5-2 mark. The Penguins will play St. Bonaventure on Friday at 10 a.m. before facing the Red Flash.

Against Xavier, YSU earned all five of its points at singles, winning at No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 singles. Four of those match wins came in straight sets. Against Toledo, Youngstown State captured the doubles point and victories in all singles matches except No. 3 singles.

SERIES WITH THE PENGUINS
The Red Flash and Penguins met most recently on January 31, 2020 when Youngstown State took the 7-0 victory. Andrew Teixeira pushed his No. 5 singles match to three sets but was defeated 10-7 in the final set. Two of the three doubles matches were decided by 6-4 margins but YSU was on the winning end of both.
 

The Matchup: Saint Francis women (1-4) vs. Western Illinois women (1-2)
Location: YSU Indoor Tennis Center (Youngstown, Ohio)
Date and Time: Saturday at 10 a.m.

SCOUTING THE LEATHERNECKS
Western Illinois enters the match with a 1-2 record, most recently being shutout 7-0 against Illinois State on Wednesday. The Leathernecks were shut out in their first match of the season against Southern Illinois – Edwardsville before earning a shutout of their own against St. Francis (Ill.) on Valentine's Day.
Against Illinois State, WIU was defeated in straight sets in each singles match. Against St. Francis (Ill.), WIU won all singles matches in straight sets and won all three doubles matches.

SERIES WITH THE LEATHERNECKS
This is the first meeting of the decade between the Red Flash and the Leathernecks.
 

The Matchup: Saint Francis women (1-4) at Youngstown State women (4-6)
Location: YSU Indoor Tennis Center (Youngstown, Ohio)
Date and Time: Saturday at 4 p.m.

SCOUTING THE PENGUINS
Youngstown State holds a 4-6 record this season after dropping a pair of matches to Ball State last Saturday, breaking a three-match win streak. The Penguins fell to the Cardinals 4-0 and 4-1.
In the first match, Ball State captured the doubles point by winning at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles before taking the first three singles matches. YSU was leading in No. 1 and No. 5 singles when the match ended to begin the second of the doubleheader. The Penguins earned the doubles point in the second match and were leading in No. 4 singles when the match was called.
Youngstown State's winning streak started with a 7-0 win against Indiana (Pa.) and also featured wins against Duquesne (6-1) and Toledo (5-2). The Penguins will play St. Bonaventure on Friday and Western Illinois on Saturday before facing the Red Flash.

SERIES WITH THE PENGUINS
Last season, the Red Flash fell to the Penguins by a 6-1 mark at the end of January. SFU earned the point with a win at No. 1 singles. Romina Cutipa and Anouk Ma-Ajong were each neck-in-neck in their singles matches but ultimately did not earn points.
 

LAST TIME OUT
Both the Red Flash men and women picked up their first win of the season against Thomas More, with both winning by a 6-1 margin, before dropping contests against Northern Kentucky and Dayton.

Dominique Yeo has won her last four singles matches and three doubles matches, including a three-set win at No. 1 singles against Dayton last Sunday. Ma-Ajong has won her last three singles matches. On the men's side, Samuel Ghigiarelli has won two of his last three singles matches, including a convincing 6-1 win in set three against Northern Kentucky.
 
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To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit francis.edu.