Tennis Hosts No. 7 Baylor and No. 32 Texas
March 26, 2015 10:59 AM | General
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| The Mountaineers will wear pink jerseys in support of breast cancer awareness this weekend. |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Hosting its first Big 12 Conference match of the season, the West Virginia University women’s tennis team returns home for its pink matches against No. 7 Baylor on Friday, March 27 at 1 p.m., and No. 32 Texas on Sunday, March 29 at 10 a.m.
The matches will be held at Ridgeview Racquet Club, and the Mountaineers will wear pink jerseys in support of breast cancer awareness.
“It feels good to be home and play in front of our home crowd at Ridgeview this weekend. It is nice not having to go on the road and travel all the time,” said second-year coach Miha Lisac.
Last week, WVU (9-6, 0-3 Big 12) fell to Kansas State, 4-0, on Friday, March 20 at the Mike Goss Tennis Center, in Manhattan, Kansas. The Mountaineers remained in Kansas as they traveled to Lawrence to face the Jayhawks. They dropped their third straight Big 12 match against No. 65 Kansas, 4-0, on Sunday, March 22 at the Jayhawk Tennis Center.
The Mountaineers are 6-2 at home this year, with exceptions of Cornell (March 7) and then-ranked No. 70 Marshall (March 8). Freshman Habiba Shaker has a team-best 12-1 mark in doubles play as she has teamed up with junior Hailey Barrett as well as classmates Lyn Yuen Choo, Yvon Martinez and Carolina Lewis throughout the spring.
Shaker holds a 7-2 mark at the No. 4 position and a 3-1 mark at the No. 5 position in singles play. Sophomore Kaja Mrgole has tallied nine wins at the No. 1 slot, and freshman Carolina Lewis has a perfect 7-0 mark in dual-match play, with victories at the No. 5 and No. 6 slots.
WVU and Baylor have played just two matches against each other, and the Lady Bears hold a 2-0 edge. BU (17-4, 3-0 Big 12) is coming off a 4-0 victory over No. 42 Rice at home.
Baylor boasts five players ranked in ITA singles. Ema Burgic (9-3) leads the way at No. 25, and she is followed closely by No. 28 Blair Shankle (12-2), Kiah Generette (11-3) at No. 75, Rachel James-Baker at No. 82 (7-4) and finally No. 99 Leolia JeanJean (10-1). BU also has the No. 7 ranked doubles team in Burgic and Shankle, who are 8-4 in dual-match play.
WVU and Texas have played just two matches against each other, and the Longhorns hold a 2-0 advantage. UT (5-8, 2-2 Big 12) is coming off a 4-2 win over No. 18 Texas Tech. Before traveling to Morgantown, Texas squares off against Iowa State on Friday, March 27.
Junior Breaunna Addison is ranked 47th by the ITA, as she holds an 8-6 overall record this season and a 3-2 mark at the No. 1 slot. The No. 53 ranked doubles tandem of freshman Danielle Wagland and Addison hold a 3-1 mark at the No. 1 position in dual-match play.
“Baylor and Texas have had good programs for a long time now. It is a stepping stone for us, as we continue to challenge ourselves against teams of that nature. We will continue to learn and get better at every match,” Lisac explained, “First and foremost, we most play well in doubles and then carry that energy into singles play. We must put ourselves in a position to be successful.”
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