Miami tennis faces early tests, looks ahead to conference competition

Despite six-straight losses to open its spring season, the Miami University women’s tennis team remains optimistic. After replacing five graduating seniors and being picked sixth in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) preseason poll, Miami’s rocky start has left the team determined to play fearlessly and leave it all on the court moving forward.

This new mantra helped the RedHawks secure their first wins of 2026, leaving the team with a record of 3-7 heading into conference competition in March.

“February is ours,” first-year Allie Faulkner said. “We did the hard stuff in January — now the momentum is building, and we are seeing results.”

Early season recap

Miami opened its spring season against strong competition including Florida Gulf Coast, St. John’s University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Illinois, the University of Colorado and the University of Denver.

Head coach Ricardo Rosas, who has led the team to five MAC championships, intentionally scheduled these tough matchups for early in the season. The disappointing results have highlighted the hunger that the team has for winning and improving with every match.

Aside from January being a month full of tough competition, it has also been a month of development.

The team replaced its five seniors from last season with four first-year players. Seeing how this young team played during this early stretch was instrumental in identifying doubles pairings and understanding the team as a whole.

“Those early losses revealed a lot of resilience, character and unity,” Rosas said.

Roster overview

With the lineup still developing, the early non-conference period served as a measuring stick for the RedHawks.

“The only way to really measure yourself is when you play against better teams,” Rosas said.

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Rosas added that those repeated pressure situations helped players grow from match to match.

For Faulkner, the first few matches of the season served as a transition period where she acclimated to college tennis. Sophomore Malu Oliveira has also used the beginning of the season to adjust to more playing time and taking on a leadership role as one of three returning players.

“You have people by your side helping you, and you can still win even when you lose, so I think that was a big adjustment coming here,” Oliveira said.

The early stretch allowed the staff, including assistant coaches Champy Halim and Matt Moore and graduate assistant Sara Zalukar, to evaluate combinations and identify areas for adjustment heading into conference play.

Conference prediction

Miami was selected to finish sixth in the nine-team MAC preseason poll, a prediction that added motivation heading into conference play.

“That did not sit well with anyone,” Faulkner said. “We are excited to prove the haters wrong.”

While preseason polls set expectations, Miami remains focused on preparation and performance.

“At the end of the day, it's a number, but we’re better than No. 6,” Rosas said. “Last year, they picked us to win the conference, and we did. That is still the expectation.”

Looking ahead to MAC play

As conference competition approaches, Rosas said the team’s mindset has centered on consistency and controllable actions.

“Practice like you’re playing and when you’re playing, just think it’s practice,” Rosas said. “You can’t control winning, but you can control what you do on the court.”

Once the regular season concludes, Miami will host the MAC tournament beginning on April 25. The RedHawks will be looking for redemption following last year's 4-3 first-round loss to the University of Buffalo.

albertk6@miamioh.edu

mathurs3@miamioh.edu

This story was produced by Miami University journalism students in partnership with The Miami Student newspaper.