The Truman State women's tennis team opened its fall dual season with three scheduled matches in mid-September, showing steady growth and strong contributions from veterans and newcomers. Head Coach Steve Smith said he's pleased with the group's early approach: "We're working hard, building confidence, and learning a lot with every match. The players are putting in the effort, and that's what will carry us forward this season."
 

Sept. 13 – Missouri Baptist 5, Truman 2
The Bulldogs began the year on the road in St. Louis against Missouri Baptist. The contest hinged on the doubles point: Sydney Dial and Nayana Malangi opened with a 6–3 win at No. 1 doubles, Missouri Baptist took No. 2, and the deciding No. 3 doubles went to the Spartans 7–5 after a tight back-and-forth. In singles, freshmen Belle Daniels and Rachel Bivens earned straight-set wins at No. 5 and No. 6 in their collegiate dual debuts, while matches at the top and No. 3 finished in favor of MBU. Nayana Malangi and MaryGrace Seymour each pushed their matches to super-tiebreakers but came up short, 10–7 and 10–8 respectively. Smith reflected on the meeting: "We got great practice today and the team worked very hard, but we came up just a little short against Mo Bap. It was shaping up to be a highly-contested meet and it looked like whoever won the doubles point would be at a serious advantage."

Sept. 16 – Truman 7, Illinois College 0
Truman returned to the Truman Tennis Courts three days later and posted a 7–0 victory over Illinois College. The Bulldogs swept doubles to take the early edge and then closed out singles without dropping a set. Coach Smith noted there were "particularly good rallies between players at the 2, 3 and 4 singles positions," highlighting that even in a clean scoreline several courts produced extended, competitive exchanges.

Sept. 17 – Central College (Rain Out)
A home match scheduled for Sept. 17 against Central College was unable to be completed due to rain and lightning.

Sept. 19 – Truman 7, Simpson College 0
On the road at Simpson College, Truman produced another 7–0 result. The Bulldogs controlled doubles play and carried that momentum through singles, where every Bulldog won in straight sets. Coach Smith called the match "great practice" and emphasized how the reps in both doubles and singles help build consistency and on-court chemistry as the season progresses.

Through the stretch of matches and the weather interruption, Smith praised the balance of leadership and first-year impact: "Our upperclassmen are leading the way, and the freshmen have stepped up and shown they belong. It's a good mix, and we're excited to keep improving."

Match Results

Sept. 13 – Missouri Baptist 5, Truman 2 (CBC Cadet Park, St. Louis, Mo.)

• Doubles:

  • Dial/Malangi (TSU) def. Jangarasheva/Shannon 6–3

  • Azevedo/Rubio (MBU) def. LaForge/Seymour 6–2

  • Carmody/Lassissi (MBU) def. Bivens/Daniels 7–5

• Singles:

  • Shannon (MBU) def. Dial 6–3, 7–5

  • Rubio (MBU) def. Malangi 6–3, 3–6, 10–7

  • Carmody (MBU) def. LaForge 6–3, 6–1

  • Jangarasheva (MBU) def. Seymour 7–5, 4–6, 10–8

  • Daniels (TSU) def. Lassissi 7–5, 6–4

  • Bivens (TSU) def. Azevedo 6–3, 6–1

Sept. 16 – Truman 7, Illinois College 0 (Truman Tennis Courts, Kirksville, Mo.) 

• Doubles:

  • Dial/Malangi (TSU) def. Wise/Bach 6–2

  • LaForge/Seymour (TSU) def. Ingram/Muir 6–1

  • Daniels/Dostal (TSU) def. Keefe/S. Ingram 6–1

• Singles:

  • Dial (TSU) def. Wise 6–1, 6–2

  • Malangi (TSU) def. Bach 6–4, 6–2

  • LaForge (TSU) def. Muir 6–2, 6–2

  • Seymour (TSU) def. L. Ingram 6–4, 6–2

  • Daniels (TSU) def. Keefe 6–0, 6–0

  • Bivens (TSU) def. S. Ingram 6–1, 6–1
     

Sept. 19 – Truman 7, Simpson College 0 (Simpson Tennis Complex, Indianola, Iowa)

• Doubles:

  • Dial/Malangi (TSU) def. Peck/Walls 6–0

  • LaForge/Seymour (TSU) def. Ridenhour/Collins 6–2

  • Daniels/Willing (TSU) def. Roth/Thompson 6–1

• Singles:

  • Dial (TSU) def. Peck 6–1, 6–0

  • Malangi (TSU) def. Walls 6–2, 6–1

  • LaForge (TSU) def. Ridenhour 6–0, 6–0

  • Seymour (TSU) def. Collins 6–0, 6–1

  • Daniels (TSU) def. Thompson 6–0, 6–0

  • Bivens (TSU) def. Roth 6–0, 6–0

Up Next:
The Bulldogs return home for a matchup with the Missouri Western Griffons at 2:00 PM on Thursday at Truman Tennis Courts. Truman State will look to take control of a matchup that has been played annually since 2010.