Thursday, April 24, 2008
When the Kansas tennis team hits the courts on Thursday they will be looking to give Iowa State a serious dose of déjà vu.
Just five days after sweeping the Cyclones, 7-0, in Lawrence, the Jayhawks, ranked 5th in the Big 12, will face Iowa State in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament. The Cyclones, who have lost 29 straight matches to the Hawks, will be hoping a change of scenery and a trip to College Station, Texas, will be the lucky charm to stopping a streak almost three decades in the making.
Senior Stephanie Smith returns a low shot in the front court Sunday afternoon. Kansas faced off against Iowa State, and will travel to College Station, Texas for the Big XII Championships this Thursday, March 24th.
Kansas coach Amy Hall-Holt said the team’s success against Iowa State wouldn’t affect the way they prepare for the match.
“Any time we’re up against somebody we want to take it one match at a time and that’s what we do,” Hall-Holt said.
Kansas will have momentum on its side when it enters the tournament Thursday. The Jayhawks are currently riding a two-match winning streak after dropping four straight matches earlier in April. Hall-Holt said she felt like the late season push and positive response to adversity had put Kansas right where it wanted to be.
“The way it looks, this is where we want to be and this is where our goals were,” Hall-Holt said. “We wanted to be in the top half of the Big 12 and the girls pulled through some obstacles and made it.”
With a difficult regular season schedule under their belt, the Jayhawks appear to have the confidence and the experience necessary to make a deep run in this year’s tournament. Out of the 21 teams Kansas faced during the regular season, 13 finished the regular season with an ITA ranking.
Another advantage of this year’s team is its experience in age. The Jayhawks have a good amount of leadership on a roster that consists of three seniors and two juniors, all of whom have experience in the Big 12 tournament. An even more important factor is the success the upperclassmen have already had this season.
In singles, Kansas is lead by junior Edina Horvath, who has recorded a team-leading 11 wins this spring, mostly at the No. 3 position. Just trailing Horvath is senior Lauren Hommell, who has recorded 10 wins, almost all at the No. 6 position. With four match sealing victories on her résumé already this season, Hommell is inarguably one of Kansas’ most reliable players in pressure situations. The Jayhawks will almost certainly need Hommell to rise to the challenge again, if Kansas expects to make a deep run in this year’s draw.
In doubles, Kansas is led by the experienced duo of Horvath and Senior Elizaveta Avdeeva. With 13 victories all at the No. 1 position, they lead the team in doubles wins this spring. Avdeeva, who set the mark for the most career Big 12 doubles victories in school history on Sunday against Iowa State, said even though the team handled Iowa State on Sunday you can never be too prepared for a match.
“Even if you know that you’ve never lost to a team you have to expect anything,” Avdeeva said.
Kansas will be looking to continue its domination over the Cyclones when they face off at 10 a.m. on Thursday at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas.
—Edited by Samuel Lamb
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