Kansas’ tennis team lost to Illinois, 7-0, on Friday, but bounced back to defeat Illinois-Chicago, 4-3, on Saturday at a meet in Champaign, Ill.

The squad is now 4-1 overall for the season.

In a match that was closer than the score would indicate, the Jayhawks took the 36th ranked Fighting Illini to the edge as the doubles tandems of senior Edina Horvath and junior Kuni Dorn, as well as senior Yuliana “Julie” Svistun and freshman Kate Morozova, narrowly lost, resulting in an early Kansas loss.

“Illinois is a great team,” coach Amy Hall-Holt said. “We came out and we competed, and we played hard — it just didn’t fall our way. There were some tough three-set matches. It’s hard coming into another team’s home facility and playing, but I felt like we put it out there.”

During singles play, Illinois’ Megan Fudge (6-2, 6-0) defeated Horvath, and Chelcie Abajian (6-3, 6-3) put away Svistun shortly thereafter. Freshmen Erin Wilbert and Morozova, as well as sophomore Maria Martinez, could not finish what they started after winning their first sets, eventually succumbing to a calm, yet powerful, Illinois team in three sets.

Afterward, Hall-Holt said the girls were disappointed with the loss, but not discouraged. She added that these types of matches would get them ready for the Big 12 matches in March.

Saturday’s match play started off on an unsteady note with the Jayhawks once again losing the crucial doubles point. The duo of Svistun/Morozova was the only KU doubles team to earn a victory. The two are now 4-1 for the season, a team best.

“Maybe the girls took UIC a little lightly in doubles, but UIC is a good team. And I feel that Julie and Kate, who won at No. 2 doubles, are playing wonderful,” Hall-Holt said.

Wilbert (6-0, 6-2), Martinez (6-0, 6-1), and Morozova (6-4, 6-0), who played at the No. 1 position, revealed no remnants of the previous day’s difficulties as they each triumphed over UIC’s Ulrikke von Ubisch, Ilinca Critescu and Amy Jellish, respectively.

Dorn and Horvath struggled on Saturday, losing their singles matches. Svistun, however, swiftly achieved her fourth singles victory of the season by defeating UIC’s Jenna Reisch. The victory gave the Jayhawks their fourth point for the day and a dual match comeback win for the weekend.

Svistun and Morozova continue to perform to their potential.

“Kate went three sets with Illinois’ number one player and had every chance of pulling that one out. She was a freshman competing against a ranked singles player in the NCAA. She put it all out there,” Hall-Holt said. “I just see that Kate’s getting more and more comfortable with her game. And Julie won 6-0, 6-1 in singles, and I think there is a lot of confidence that they’re playing with.”

— — Edited by Brandy Entsminger