Missouri Baptist’s tennis teams came away with something they had never done before on Wednesday: beat William Woods.
In one trip to Fulton, both the Spartan men and women broke through against the Owls for the first time in program history, giving Missouri Baptist a milestone day across both sides of the program. The men won 6-1 and the women followed with a 5-2 victory.
The men’s result was the bigger surprise on paper. William Woods entered the match at 11-4 and had lost only once to an NAIA opponent all season before Missouri Baptist arrived.
The Spartans, though, took control quickly and never let the day get away from them. Missouri Baptist improved to 15-4 with the win, while William Woods dropped to 11-5.
Missouri Baptist built the men’s win with balance. The Spartans claimed the doubles point, then stacked up wins across the singles lineup. Luca da Silva Ebenriter won at No. 1 singles, Strahinja Radanovic battled through three sets at No. 2, and Sebastian Junghanns and Ruslan Anurev added straight-set victories.
William Woods managed one point at No. 5 singles, but by then Missouri Baptist had already done more than enough to turn the matchup into a clear statement result.
The women’s side carried its own weight too, and that made the day more significant. William Woods came into the matchup ranked No. 19 in the NAIA, but Missouri Baptist still found a way to leave with a 5-2 win.
The Spartans improved to 9-8 on the season, while William Woods dropped to 5-8. It was not just a history-making result. It was also a road win over a nationally ranked opponent.
Read More: Houghton men’s volleyball season ends after first postseason berth in program historyMissouri Baptist’s women did the job with a strong overall performance. Yvonne Shannon and Melissa Jangarasheva helped the Spartans in doubles, and the singles lineup followed with wins from Shannon, Lucia Rubio, Jocelynn Carmody, and Jangarasheva.
William Woods picked up points at No. 2 singles and one other spot, but Missouri Baptist had too much across the lineup.
What makes the story stand out is that it was not just one breakthrough. It was both teams doing it on the same day against the same opponent.
Missouri Baptist’s official release called the wins historic, and William Woods’ own recaps reflected the same thing from the other side, noting that each loss marked a first against the Spartans.
That gives the result more weight than a normal regular-season sweep. It changed the history of the matchup for both programs at once.
For Missouri Baptist, that is the kind of day that sticks. The men added another strong result to an already impressive season, and the women picked up a notable win over a ranked team.
More than anything, the Spartans left Fulton with something they had not had before: a clean breakthrough against William Woods on both sides of the draw.
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