ST. LOUIS — Missouri Baptist University men's and women's tennis teams begin their 2025 campaigns this week with a season-opening matchup against Judson University on Friday.
Head coach Scott Goodyear enters his fourth season at the helm, coming off a historic year in which he guided both teams to the conference finals for the first time in program history. The women's team also tied a program record with 14 victories.
Assistant coach Christian Hamilton joins the coaching staff this year after spending seven years (2015-2022) coaching college tennis at the NCAA Division II, Division III, JUCO, and NAIA levels. Hamilton most recently comes to MBU after taking a year and a half away from college coaching to work at Apex Tennis Center in Colorado.
This season, the Spartans join the Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) and will compete against Baker University, Grand View University, John Brown University, Missouri Valley College, William Woods University, and Texas Wesleyan University. The Heart conference tournament will be held at the end of the season, April 17-19 at the Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City.
"Coach Christian and I are very excited about the spring 2025 season," Goodyear said. "We believe both teams can win the conference and climb higher in the national rankings. We are ready for the journey ahead!"
Men's Tennis
The MBU men will face Judson at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Forest Lake Tennis Club in Chesterfield, Mo.
The Spartans enter the spring season receiving votes in the national rankings and hold a 1-1 record from fall competition. Leading the team is the doubles tandem of Arkhip Tokmakov and Strahinja Radanovic, ranked No. 6 in the Central Region.
Coming off a 14-10 record in 2024, including a dominant 10-2 mark at home, the men aim to build on last year's success. The 2025 schedule features 10 home matches and road trips to Kansas City, Indiana, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.
In their first season in the Heart, MBU will host Missouri Valley, Grand View, and William Woods, while traveling to Texas Wesleyan and John Brown.
Newcomer Sebastian Junghanns will look to make an immediate impact on the team, he will be slotted in at No.1 doubles with Luca da Silva Ebenriter and will most likely play No. 3 singles.
Women's Tennis
The Spartan women will take on Judson at 1:30 p.m. Friday at Vetta Racquet Sports West in St. Peters, Mo.
MBU's women's team is coming off one of its most successful seasons in program history, finishing 2024 with a 14-9 record, including an 8-4 mark at home. The Spartans carry a perfect 2-0 record from the fall into the spring season.
The women's schedule includes 11 home matches, along with trips to Kansas City, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. In their inaugural season in the Heart, the Spartans will host Missouri Valley, Grand View, and William Woods, and face Texas Wesleyan and John Brown on the road.
Spartan fans are encouraged to attend Friday's matches and show their support as the teams embark on an exciting new chapter in the Heart. For those unable to attend to matches throughout the season, results will be available on MBUSpartans.com and the Missouri Baptist Athletics social media channels.
With a strong foundation built under Coach Goodyear's leadership, the Spartans are ready to compete at a high level and build on their historic success from last season.
