MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The W women's and men's tennis teams will add to an already historic season for both programs on Friday, when they play in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championships at the Baseline Tennis Center. This will be the Owls' first-ever berth in the UMAC's championship tournament, with both teams never getting past the UMAC South Division tournament, previously.
 
The Owls will both be playing their respective genders from the University of Wisconsin-Superior, which claimed the championships of the UMAC North for both women and men.  The women's match begins Friday at 1 p.m., and the men's bout follows at 4:30 p.m.
 
The top two finishers in the North and South Divisions qualified for the UMAC finale. The MUW squads made their first historic steps last weekend in the South semifinals just by advancing to the title match. The No. 2 seeded Owl men dispatched of No. 3-seed Webster University (4-0), while the No. 3-seed MUW ladies upset No. 2-seed Principia (4-2), to secure their places in Minneapolis beginning Friday. (Both teams lost to South top-seeded Greenville University's teams in the divisional final match).
 
Both of first-year MUW Head Coach Hayden Embry's teams also set modern-era school records for most victories in a season as a team. The Owls' men's squad sports an 11-7 season standard, while the women's team's UMAC South win versus Principia was its seventh win (7-10) of 2026, surpassing the previous mark of six wins in 2022-23.
 
"This is a really special moment for our program because it's the first time in school history we've had both teams reach this stage and compete for a championship opportunity like this," Embry said. "That doesn't happen by accident—it comes from a group who have bought in, trusted each other, and shown up every single day ready to work.
 
"For our men, playing for the conference championship and an NCAA bid is a huge step for the program and something they've earned through consistency, toughness, and belief in the process. They've handled adversity well and continued to compete with confidence.
 
"Our women have done the same by continuing to elevate the standard of the program. Their competitiveness, resilience, and commitment to each other has allowed them to keep playing meaningful matches late in the season, and that says a lot about who they are."
 
Embry, who took over as the program's coach last June, played the fall portion of the season pretty much with the players he inherited when he began. But Embry comes from good "coaching stock," and did not stand pat.  The son of legendary Mississippi prep softball coach Trae Embry, Hayden was able recruit in several new faces, for both teams, at the semester to bolster the rosters, generating the programs' turnaround. 
 
The W women will head into the UMAC tourney with pretty much a regional lineup. Representing the Owls will be seniors Brooklyn Ward (Columbus, Miss.) and Emma Horton (Caledonia, Miss.), along with juniors, newcomer Austin Hays (Caledonia, Miss.) and mid-season transfer Kayleigh Griffin (Houston, Miss.). Sophomore returner Alaina Mathis (Brookhaven, Miss), along with freshmen Bailey Flynn (Amory, Miss.) and Harley Lowry (Caledonia, Miss.) round out the roster.
 
The Owls' men, however, took on a definite international flair in the second semester, as Embry seized upon his deep JUCO roots and connections. Only junior Tyler Bailey (Fosters, Ala.) returned from the 2024-25 roster. In the fall, Embry added sophomore transfer Dylan Barber (Memphis, Tenn.).
 
Also in the fall, Embry began to transform the roster into the equivalent of going on the "It's a Small World" ride at Disneyland, with the addition of international transfers Alvaro Bardales (Tacna, Peru) and Josh Cooper (Melbourne, Australia). At the semester, Embry brought in five more international players: Jorge Ortiz Catala (Santa Cruz, Bolivia), Ian Costobel (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Marcos Fernandez (Madrid, Spain), Juan Garcia (Sea Salinas, Majorca, Spain), and Sandro Giangregorio (Carabobo, Venezuela).
 
"It's also been amazing to see the impact our transfers have made, especially with the majority of them arriving in January," Embry reflected. "To come in midyear, learn the culture, and immediately buy into our process and standards says a lot about their character. They've embraced the expectations, built strong chemistry with the team, and played a major role in helping us reach this point. What makes me most proud is how both teams have competed for each other and represented The W. They've stayed focused on the right things, embraced the challenge, and earned the right to be here."