Players set goals on the court

By Pat Tefft

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Great things come in pairs. For Elizaveta Avdeeva and Edina Horvath, they will try to translate a good partnership into another successful season on the tennis court.

Photo by Anna Faltermeier

After finishing last season as All-Big 12 performers and posting a 23-9 record, the duo has their sights set firmly on the slate of fall tournaments beginning this weekend.

The Kansas tennis season begins Friday at the Cissie Leary Tournament in Philadelphia. The following weekend Avdeeva, Obninsk, Russia senior, and Horvath, Budapest, Hungary junior, will travel to Pacific Pallisades, Calif., where they were selected to compete in the qualifying draw of the ITA All-American Championships.

Invitations to this highly selective tournament are based on rankings and recommendations. They will compete against 23 other pairs in hopes to qualify for a spot in the main draw.

Avdeeva and Horvath are confident going in and considered qualifying for the main draw a top goal for the fall season.

“We are so excited. We have nothing to lose,” Avdeeva said. “We are going to just play as we usually play, with lots of energy.”

Unifying with a partner on the tennis court is not always easy. Both Avdeeva and Horvath stressed the need for good communication and emotional support as keys to success.

“If Edina sees that I’m down she tells me ‘come on Liza, we can do it,” Avdeeva said. “I can miss three balls in a row and she would never say ‘why are you playing so bad?’ She just tells me ‘it’s okay Liza, I will get the next one.”

The pair credited their positive relationship off the court as a big factor in their success.

“It is really important for me to have a partner who is a good friend,” Horvath said.

Avdeeva and Horvath will try to use their experience as partners to get a heads up on the competition. They have played in the No. 1 doubles slot since fall of last year.

But Avdeeva and Horvath said that experience playing with each other was not as important as some believe it to be. Both bring their own set of skills to the partnership.

“Liza plays very well at the baseline. I like to move more at the net,” Horvath said.

The tennis team plays five tournaments in the fall. In these tournaments players play their own draw, meaning wins and losses are not factored in to a team score. Instead they only affect each individual player’s ranking. The team plays duals with other schools in the spring season followed by post-season tournaments.

Avdeeva and Horvath said that the fall season was just as important as the spring, but they will use these tournaments as a way to gear up for the spring season.

“Our goal for the fall is to win all our matches and just finish on a high level,” Horvath said.

— Edited by Meghan Murphy

Tennis duo selected to California tourney

The doubles team of Elizaveta Avdeeva and Edina Horvath will try to ...

/news/2007/sep/28/tennis_duo_selected_california_tourney/

Adeeva leaves tennis players frustrated

Adeeva and Horvath continue to lead team. Adeeva uses patience and a ...

/news/2007/feb/27/tennis/

KU falls short at Cissie Leary Tournament

Despite the disappointment in doubles losses, KU claimed one victory in singles ...

/news/2007/sep/24/ku_falls_short_cissie_leary_tournament/

Tennis team travels to Tulsa this week

Coach Hall-Holt stresses mental aspect of game to prepare

/news/2007/oct/17/tennis/

Tennis team heads to the Hoosier Classic

Hawks want to improve after the first tournament of the year in ...

/news/2007/oct/05/tennis/

Tennis duo falls in quarterfinals

The Kansas tennis team was in action in Tulsa, Okla. this weekend.

/news/2007/oct/22/tennis/

Senior day ends in Jayhawk sweep of ...

Team opens up the Big 12 Championship against Iowa State, Thursday at ...

/news/2008/apr/21/tennis/

Horvath leads win against St. Louis

Junior Edina Horvath won both her singles and doubles matches yesterday.

/news/2008/feb/11/tennis/

Team record doesn't reflect doubles success

Injury and illness have left the tennis team with a 2-7 record, ...

/news/2007/feb/23/tennis/

Texas troubles continue for tennis team

The team will face The Huskers in Lawrence on Friday.

/news/2008/apr/18/texas_troubles_continue_tennis_team/

Women to open with tough competition

The team travels to the Cissie Leary Tournament in Philadelphia this weekend. ...

/news/2007/sep/21/Tennis/

Dent: The mark of a true athlete

The women's tennis team fought a hard battle against Oklahoma on Thursday ...

/news/2007/apr/27/dent/

Kansas to play Arkansas in tennis matchup

Women’s tennis hopes to continue their winning streak after a successful trip ...

/news/2008/jan/31/tennis/

/photos/2008/mar/09/1924/

Tennis ends season at Big 12 Championships

The Kansas tennis team finished its season at the Big 12 Championships ...

/news/2007/apr/27/tennis/

/photos/2008/mar/09/1922/

Tennis team finishes fall season

The tennis team finished the fall season with a tournament at Florida ...

/news/2007/nov/06/tennis_team_finishes_fall_season/

Tennis concludes losing road trip

The Jayhawks losing weekend included the first conference loss for the No. ...

/news/2007/apr/02/tennis/

Sports Brief: November 2, 2007

Here is what is happening in Kansas sports for November 2, 2007

/news/2007/nov/02/sports_brief_november_2_2007/

Tennis Brief: May 9, 2007

The tennis team handed out its annual awards at the team banquet.

/news/2007/may/09/tennis_brief/

Jayhawks fall in two matches

Women’s tennis coach is pleased with the performances, but says the team ...

/news/2008/feb/08/tennis/

Tennis Brief: May 2, 2007

Jayhawk tennis players took All-Big 12 honors this season. A doubles team ...

/news/2007/may/02/tennis_brief/

Tennis team on its way to Texas

Hawks hope to give Iowa State a dose of déjà vu.

/news/2008/apr/24/tennis/

Despite strong showing, tennis team falls to ...

The Kansas tennis team began Saturday with a 3-1 lead over the ...

/news/2008/apr/08/despite_strong/

/photos/2008/mar/09/1920/

/photos/2008/mar/09/1921/

/photos/2008/mar/09/1923/

Kansas loses to Baylor; swept in doubles ...

/news/2005/apr/04/sports_tennis_team/

Singles starts off strong

/news/2005/aug/19/tennis_tournament/

Kansas tennis shuts out UMKC, sets eyes ...

The team travels east, seeking Wildcat and Colonel dominance.

/news/2008/feb/20/kansas_shuts_out_umkc_sets_eyes_kentucky/

Tennis loses despite early lead

Texas A&M is the last opponent Kansas will face before the Big ...

/news/2007/apr/19/tennis/

Senior players lead by example

Returning seniors show their younger teammates what it takes to win.

/news/2009/jan/29/tennis/

/photos/2007/feb/26/14/

/photos/2008/apr/08/2426/

Deja vu for Jayhawks as they blow ...

However, they lost to Colorado for the second consecutive time this year.

/news/2008/apr/29/deja_vu_jayhawks_they_blow_away_cyclones/

Ailing tennis squad falls to Colorado

The Jayhawks tennis team lost to the Buffaloes 5-2 on Sunday. The ...

/news/2007/apr/16/tennis/

Women's tennis matches up players set for ...

/news/2005/aug/12/tennis_workouts/

Winless tennis squad fights to end streak

Singles and doubles players face tough seeding as they head toward the ...

/news/2007/apr/20/tennis/

Sports Briefs: October 19, 2007

Tennis players advance to final 64-player round

/news/2007/oct/19/sports_briefs/

Jayhawks to host invitational this weekend

The Jayhawks Invitational provides practice and experience for the team

/news/2008/sep/26/tennis/

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Sign in to comment

Or login with:

OpenID