OXFORD, Ohio - With the Mid-American Conference regular season crown on the line, the Miami University women's tennis team (9-10, 5-1 MAC) are set to host the Western Michigan Broncos in a pivotal conference clash Friday. The match, which also serves as senior day as the regular season finale, is slated for a 1 p.m. first serve at Riverside Athletic Club in Hamilton.

LAST TIME OUT
Miami extended its winning streak to six matches, edging the Bowling Green Falcons in a 4-3 nail biter. Milana Lysova provided the winning point for the RedHawks at second singles in a come-from-behind, three-set fashion. Emily Struble, Melati Devi, and Makenzie Myers also earned singles victories. 

SENIOR DAY
With Friday's match serving as senior day, Struble will be the lone senior honored at the match. Struble, out of Holt, Mich., has been a four-year letterwinner for the RedHawks, racking up a total of 81 singles victories to-date. She made an immediate impact for the 'Hawks as a freshman, setting a Miami record with 29 total singles victories that year, going 18-3 in dual play. Struble followed up that campaign with a 21-3 dual play record her sophomore year, and was second on the team in wins last season. In addition, she has contributed 52 doubles victories and has received Academic All-MAC honors each year of her career.

MATCHUP WITH THE BRONCOS
Western Michigan has also had a strong showing in conference play, as the Broncos sit a half-game behind the RedHawks with a 4-1 MAC record. WMU has posted victories over Ball State, Northern Illinois, Akron, and Toledo, while its lone loss came in a 5-2 defeat at the hands of Buffalo. Overall, the Broncos are 12-8. Melina Lyubomirova leads the way for Western with a 10-7 record at first singles, while Denise Azcui is most often used in the second spot, holding a 9-6 record there. Femke Tjon-A-Joe has split time between third and fourth singles and is 13-6 overall in dual play. Miami has taken eight of the last nine meetings between the two, including a 4-3 victory in Kalamazoo last season, and leads the all-time series 27-18.

WINNER TAKES ALL
Friday's match carries huge stakes, as the winner clinches at least a share of the conference regular season championship. In Miami's case, a win guarantees an outright MAC title and a one seed in next week's conference tournament. In the event of a WMU win on Friday, the Broncos will win the championship outright if they win their finale against Bowling Green Sunday. A win over Miami and a loss to BGSU will create a tie scenario between the RedHawks, Broncos, and the winner of the Akron/Ball State match.

LOOKING AHEAD
The season will culminate next week with the MAC Tournament, hosted by last year's champion Buffalo. The first round between teams seeded three through six will play on Friday, with the winners advancing to play the one and two seeds Saturday in the semifinals. The championship match is scheduled for noon on Sunday. Miami can clinch a top-two seed and a bye to the semifinals with a win over the Broncos or a Ball State victory over Akron this weekend.

If you can't make it down in person to cheer on the RedHawks in their pursuit of a conference-best 23rd MAC Championship, be sure to follow @MiamiOH_Tennis on Twitter for updates.