One year ago today senior Edina Horvath, Budapest, Hungary, and her teammates were preparing for another weekend of dual match play, which pitted them against No. 22 Kentucky.

Horvath was undefeated (5-0) in both singles and doubles play, and the team (3-2) was on a two-game winning streak after dropping its first three matches against ranked opponents. The two wins were against unranked opponents. Kansas lost to Kentucky (6-1) that weekend, and Horvath suffered her first losses of the season in singles and doubles matches.

The Jayhawks, who are currently third in the Big 12 with an overall record of 4-1, have begun this season in a similar fashion in that their only loss so far has come against a ranked team. This weekend they play No. 41. DePaul (8-2) and No. 75. Iowa (4-4). So will this weekend’s performance be a good indicator of the team’s chances of success in Big 12 competition, which begins next month.

“To me personally rankings don’t mean anything. Any competition that we are playing helps us get ready for the Big 12,” coach Amy Hall-Holt said. “We definitely feel like we have a good shot against both of these teams, and it’ll be a big confidence booster to win both matches.”

Horvath’s current singles (3-2) and doubles (2-3) records are respectable, but KU will need her to take advantage of her proven talent in order to establish that they are ready for the challenge ahead. This season she is playing at a different position, and that presents its own hurdles.

“Last year I played at the No. 3 spot; this year I play at the No. 2, which is much harder. The competition is a lot harder,” said Horvath, who began this season with a 3-0 singles record, but has since cooled off.

“Of course I would be happier if I had won all my matches, but think I have given 100%, and I did what I could,” she said.

KU narrowly lost (4-3) to Iowa last season, and three of the players who helped achieve that near-victory are no longer on the team. The fact that KU has seven underclassmen on its 10-person roster underscores how critical it is that not only Horvath, but also her fellow upperclassmen, doubles partner Kuni Dorn and Yuliana Svistun, dominate this weekend.

Hall-Holt, however, feels it is important for everyone to win regardless of class.

“It’s definitely important for our newcomers to come in and compete hard and to win. But yeah, we look upon our upperclassmen to lead us, but we still look at the rest of us to prevail and to play hard,” Hall-Holt said. “We’ve got to have not just the three wins, but at least four of the girls to win in order to win the match.”

Although she concedes that she needs to play better if she wants to beat better players, Horvath is fired up for this weekend.

“I don’t feel any pressure. I like to play against better teams. We get so pumped up against ranked teams. I feel like we are much more excited as a whole team,” she said.

— — Edited by Liz Schubauer