Friday, April 3, 2009
Senior Edina Horvath lunges to pick up a low volley during a March 22 match against Missouri in Lawrence. Kansas plays Baylor Saturday.
The Kansas Jayhawks will attempt to conquer the fourth-best tennis team in the nation today in Waco, Texas. The team features four ITA-ranked athletes who, when paired up, form two doubles tandems which include the No. 16 pairing of Lenka Broosova and Csilla Borsanyi. Baylor is 47-1 in Big 12 competition since 2005. Oh yeah, and it is the 2008 conference champions.
The Jayhawks are coming off a weekend in which they defeated Oklahoma and a then-ranked Oklahoma State. It was the first time this season the team defeated a ranked school and it showed the importance of winning the early doubles point.
“Our number one issue is getting out there and competing in doubles. That momentum going into singles from having already won the point in doubles is huge, and the girls realize that after last weekend,” coach Amy Hall-Holt said.
Today’s match against Baylor and Sunday’s match against No. 63 Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas will feature an invigorated KU squad that sits in fifth place in the Big 12 with a conference record of 3-3.
“To beat Baylor we just have to outsmart them, and come out with our A-games and our A-minds. The girls seem to be still pretty pumped up from the weekend,” Hall-Holt said. “We have to take those two victories and keep moving forward.”
Maria Martinez, Abingdon, Md., sophomore, has reason to be pumped up about the past three weekends. After winning her first three singles matches of the season, Martinez struggled, winning only two out of her next seven matches. But since conference competition began, she has assembled a team-best 5-1 singles record.
“My concentration level has gone up. You always want to do the best you can, and Coach has really helped me in tweaking my game a little to play better,” Martinez said.
There is a connection between Martinez’s success and the success of the team. When Martinez wins her singles match, the team is 8-2 in dual play, and when she loses, the team is 0-6. Martinez was Kansas’ top fall singles player, and she plays at the No. 5 position — as opposed to the more difficult No. 1 position — so theoretically she should win a great majority of her singles matches.
“She is a competitor and a very coachable player that listens,” Hall-Holt said.
Hall-Holt said that it is critical that everyone plays to win this weekend and that the team has its eyes set on Texas Tech as well as Baylor.
“It would be awesome to come out with a 2-0 victory this weekend. We are very excited about going to Texas and want to keep our momentum and fire alive. And play hard,” Hall-Holt said.
— — Edited Sam Speer
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