TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The No. 11-ranked Northeastern State women's tennis team is set to host the 2016 NCAA Central Region 1 Championship May 8-9 at the NSU Tennis Complex.
 
The RiverHawks (19-3) are the top seed in the region and have earned a bye into the second round. No. 4 seed Southeastern Oklahoma State and No. 5 seed Nebraska-Kearney will have to go through one another for the right to face Northeastern State. Those two teams will meet at 10 a.m. May 8 at the NSU Tennis Complex, with the winner moving on to face NSU at 11 a.m. May 9.
 
The Central Region 1 champion will be one of 16 teams to advance to the NCAA Championship final site. The national championship is slated for May 18-21 at Gates Tennis Center in Denver.
 
Northeastern State enters the tournament with a 19-3 record overall. The green and white won its third-straight MIAA regular season title with a perfect 10-0 mark and the team sits one victory shy of reaching the 20-win plateau for the fourth-straight season.
 
Senior Patricia Husakova, the nation's No. 12-ranked singles player, enters the national tournament with a 21-1 record. She was also recently honored as the 2016 MIAA Player of the Year. Sophomore Molly Worden, recently named to the All-MIAA First Team, is 16-3 this spring and is riding a 14-match win streak. The Husakova/Worden tandem is 12-3 in doubles and recently defeated the nation's No. 13-ranked duo.
 
Northeastern State has advanced past the regional stage of the postseason tournament and reached the national finals each of the past three years. This is also the third time in the last four years that the RiverHawks will host a regional event.
 
SCOUTING THE SAVAGE STORM
Southeastern Oklahoma State (13-3) enters the postseason on an 11-match win streak after laying claim to the 2016 Great American Conference Championship.
 
SEOSU and NSU have five common opponents this year in Arkansas-Fort Smith, Arkansas Tech, Northwest Missouri State, Oklahoma Baptist and Southwest Baptist. The Savage Storm owns a 4-2 record against those teams, while the RiverHawks are 6-1 against those same five foes. The team was scheduled to play Nebraska-Kearney on April 13, but the match was canceled.
 
No individual stats are available on SE's website.
 
If Southeastern Oklahoma State advances past UNK, then this will mark the first meeting between NSU and SE since 2010. The Savage Storm has lost all six meetings against the RiverHawks over the last 10 years.
 
SCOUTING THE LOPERS
Nebraska-Kearney ended the year with an 18-6 record. The Lopers finished third in the MIAA at 8-2 and advanced to the semifinals of the conference championship.
 
The RiverHawks have won all seven meetings with the Lopers since both teams joined the MIAA in 2013. UNK has never taken more than two points off NSU in any of those matches.
 
Nebraska-Kearney is 0-5 against nationally-ranked teams this year. UNK is led by Emma Neil's 19-3 singles record. She plays primarily at No. 4 and No. 5. Paula Jimenez owns an 18-6 record at the third singles flight.
 
They comprise a doubles tandem that plays at the third position with a 12-4 record this season.
 
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
NCAA CENTRAL REGION 1 CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS
Tahlequah, Okla. – May 8
Match 1 – No. 4 Southeastern Oklahoma State vs. No. 5 Nebraska-Kearney – 10 a.m.
 
NCAA CENTRAL REGION 1 CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
Tahlequah, Okla. – May 9
Match 2 – No. 1 Northeastern State vs. Match 1 winner – 11 a.m.
 
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