Northwest Missouri State M-Club Hall of Fame
The 1996 women’s tennis team was definitely in a class of their own on their way to the 5th MIAA title in program history. The team left no doubt of whom the top team in the conference was that year. They dominated MIAA foes on their way to an unblemished league record. They crushed their conference counterpart by a combined score of 41-6 – including three 9-0 shutouts.
But, it was not just MIAA opponents they feasted on – the Bearcats rolled through their entire schedule to an impressive 20-5 overall record. In fact, of those 5 losses, 3 came at the hands of Division 1 schools. The 20 victories are the 5th most wins in the 40 years of the program. They set the tone with doubles play all year, combining for 58 victories, the third best tally all-time, highlighted by two doubles teams capturing MIAA titles. That’s not to say they weren’t just as strong in singles play where four individuals captured MIAA crowns – one of only four times that many individual championships have been won in a single season.
They finished the year in the NCAA tournament and achieved a final national ranking in the top 20.
