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West Virginia Hosts No. 34 Kansas and Kansas State
April 07, 2016 11:17 AM | Tennis
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following a two-week hiatus, the West Virginia University women’s tennis team plays host to No. 34 Kansas on Friday, April 8, followed by a match against Kansas State on Saturday, April 10.
Friday’s match against the Jayhawks is set to begin at 3 p.m., while Sunday’s contest against the Wildcats is scheduled to start at 10 a.m., at Ridgeview Racquet Club.
“We had a week off from matches last week, so we were able to take a step back and focus on the basics,” said third-year coach Miha Lisac. “I thought that was a good restart for the team. Now, we are back to working on doubles and working on playing in competitive matches. It is going to be two good battles this weekend.”
Both matches are free to all fans, and there will be pizza available prior to the contests. Fans are encouraged to wear gold, as the Mountaineers will host their first-ever Gold Rush event on Friday and Sunday. In addition to the Gold Rush, Sunday’s match is also known as Kids Day. The Mountaineers will hold a meet-and-greet and autograph session along with a free 30-minute youth clinic following the match against the Wildcats on Sunday.
“We want to build a tennis community around Morgantown,” Lisac explained. “We want to draw fans to the matches and build that home court advantage. We want fans in the seats. We want fans supporting us, and we want fans to be loud.
“The fans really came through against Iowa State, and we are continuing to make that happen. We also want to get people on the courts, and we want people to have an interest in the sport. However, we are aware that if we want people to support us, we have to support the community as well. The fans came through during Iowa State, and we definitely want to continue that this weekend with Kansas and Kansas State.”
West Virginia (6-8, 0-3 Big 12) and Kansas (12-5, 2-2 Big 12) will meet for the fourth time in program history, as the Mountaineers look to capture their first win over the Jayhawks in the all-time series. Last season, the Mountaineers dropped a 4-0 decision against the Jayhawks on March 22, at the Jayhawk Tennis Center, in Lawrence, Kansas.
West Virginia and Kansas State (8-9, 0-4 Big 12) will meet for the sixth time in the all-time series, as the Wildcats hold a 5-0 edge over the Mountaineers. Last season, the Mountaineers fell to the Wildcats by a score of 4-0 on March 20, at the Mike Goss Tennis Stadium, in Manhattan, Kansas.
“So far, Kansas has had a good season,” Lisac noted. “They are definitely going to come ready to play. Kansas State is a tough team as well, but if we do things the way that we need to on our end, there should be two good battles this weekend.”
Most recently, West Virginia dropped a 4-2 match against Iowa State on March 26, at Ridgeview Racquet Club. The Mountaineers fell short in doubles, but tallied two singles victories at the No. 1 and No. 4 position, respectively.
Sophomore Habiba Shaker leads the team in singles play with an overall record of 11-1, while sophomores Carolina Lewis and Lyn Yuen Choo and freshman Paula Goetz each own six singles wins apiece. The doubles tandem of senior Hailey Barrett and Shaker holds a team-best 7-3 mark at the No. 1 slot this season.
“We are able to take that week off as an opportunity to get back to the basics,” Lisac noted. “That’s what we did last week. It provided a mental restart for everyone as well.”
In its last weekend of competition, Kansas dropped a pair of Big 12 road matches at then-ranked No. 35 TCU and No. 13 Texas Tech on April 1 and April 3, respectively. KU suffered a 4-1 loss to TCU at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Courts, in Fort Worth, Texas. The Jayhawks then dropped a 4-2 decision against the Red Raiders at the McLead Tennis Courts, in Lubbock, Texas.
Three Jayhawks have produced double-digit singles wins this spring: Maria Jose Cardona (11-3), Anastasiya Rychagova (11-4) and Nina Khmelnitckaia (10-6). Playing at the No. 1 singles slot, Rychagova ranks at No. 95 in this week’s Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings. Janet Koch and Khmelnitckaia are also ranked as the No. 67 doubles tandem in the country with a 12-8 record this spring.
In its last weekend of competition, Kansas State also dropped a pair of Big 12 road matches at Texas Tech and TCU on April 1 and April 3, respectively. K-State suffered a 4-0 loss to Texas Tech at the McLead Tennis Courts, in Lubbock, Texas. The Wildcats then dropped a 4-1 decision against the Horned Frogs at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Courts, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Livia Cirnu and Millie Stretton lead the Wildcats with 11 singles victories apiece, followed by Ana Garcia Navas with eight singles wins. Iva Bago and Stretton also hold a team-best 6-5 mark at the No. 2 slot this season.
Of note, Kansas State will face Iowa State in a Big 12 matchup on Friday, April 8.
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