WICHITA FALLS, Texas (April 5, 2026) – Playing in its second straight match against a nationally-ranked team in NCAA Division II, The University of Texas Permian Basin women's tennis team lost a 7-0 decision at No. 34 Midwestern State University on Easter Sunday at the MSU Tennis Center.
Midwestern State did not drop a set on its way to the victory. The Mustangs won the doubles point for the 14th time in 16 dual matches, and the three doubles pairings only lost three games combined.
At No. 2 doubles,
Dinethya Dharmaratne and
Paige Sitanggang were swept 6-0 by the No. 9 nationally-ranked doubles pair in NCAA Division II, Selin Sepken and Emilia Gyorgy. Sepken and Gyorgy had lost each of their first three doubles matches in conference play — all to ranked opponents — before improving to 10-6 for the season after the win over UTPB. In all, Sepken and Gyorgy have faced six nationally-ranked pairings, including three wins over highly ranked duos.
At No. 3 doubles, MSU's Hattie Berend and Alessia Dolce extended their doubles winning streak to eight straight matches and improved to 8-0 at No. 3 doubles with a 6-1 win over
Alyssa Glasgow and
Peyton Jones to secure the first dual-match point of the day for the Mustangs.
The closest doubles match was a 6-2 defeat by
Sophia Rashid and
Fanny Bergstrom against Jasmine Crain and Camila Garcia, who were playing at No. 1 doubles for the first time this season.
In singles, Bergstrom fell 6-2, 6-1 to the No. 6 nationally-ranked Sepken at No. 1 singles, and Rashid fell 6-2, 6-2 vs. No. 66-ranked Garcia at No. 3 singles to clinch the dual-match victory for the Mustangs. Sepken improved her singles record this season to 12-1 (all at No. 1 singles) and extended her winning streak to seven straight matches. In the Fall, Sepken, did not drop a set in her six matches as she won the ITA South Central Region Singles Championship. Sepken, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, who transferred to MSU from Idaho and started her collegiate career at Long Island University, leads the South Central Region with a No. 1 ranking.
Mattea Bowe battled in a 6-2, 6-3 defeat vs. Dolce a No. 4 singles, as did Dharmaratne in a 6-3, 6-4 defeat vs. Gyorgy at No. 2 singles. Gyorgy, a freshman from Hungary, is ranked No. 5 in singles in the South Central Region and is now 11-5 overall in singles with eight wins in her last nine matches.
At No. 5 singles, Sitanggang forced a first-set tiebreaker before falling 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 vs. Crain.
Results:
Doubles
Singles
- #1 – No. 6 Selin Sepken (MSU) def. Fanny Bergstrom (UTPB) 6-2, 6-1
- #2 – Emilia Gyorgy (MSU) def. Dinethya Dharmaratne (UTPB) 6-3, 6-4
- #3 – No. 66 Camila Garcia (MSU) def. Sophia Rashid (UTPB) 6-2, 6-2
- #4 – Alessia Dolce (MSU) def. Mattea Bowe (UTPB) 6-2, 6-3
- #5 – Jasmine Crain (MSU) def. Paige Sitanggang (UTPB) 7-6 (7-3), 6-0
- #6 – Hattie Berend (MSU) def. Sophia Crosby (UTPB) 6-0, 6-0
- Order of Finish: 1, 6, 3, 4, 5, 2
Team Records:
- UTPB falls to 4-10 overall and 0-4 in the Lone Star Conference while No. 34 Midwestern State improves to 11-5 and 3-1.
- MSU remains undefeated at home with a 6-0 record and has only conceded three dual-match points on home ground this Spring.
- In 2025, the Mustangs finished their second consecutive season as one of the last four teams standing in NCAA Division II.
- The Mustangs reached the national semifinals last season after conquering the NCAA Division II South Central Regional. MSU defeated Rockhurst and Wayne State (Mich.) before succumbing to No. 2-ranked Nova Southeastern in Altamonte Springs, Florida.
- MSU finished the dual-match season with a 23-4 record, including a 9-1 mark in the LSC.
Next Up: The Falcons will play their rescheduled match at Cameron University beginning at 2 p.m. on Monday, April 6, in Lawton, Oklahoma.
