Three days and three undefeated players later, Kansas tennis coach Amy Hall-Holt said she is still excited about her team’s will to win.

Three underclassmen — freshman Sara Lazarevic and sophomores Kate Morozova and Erin Wilbert — did not lose any of their singles or doubles matches this weekend in the Jayhawk’s tournament at First Serve in Lawrence. Together, the three posted a 9-0 singles record in the tournament that included opponents from UMKC, Saint Louis University and Illinois State University.

“It’s a great feeling,” Hall-Holt said, speaking about the early-season wins by the young players.

Lazarevic started out in the top singles bracket with victories against Illinois State’s Ariane Maack and Saint Louis’ Sarah Septien and Casey Miller.

Photo Gallery

Kansas Tennis: Jayhawk Invitational

A photo gallery of the Kansas Tennis team during the Jayhawk Invitational tennis tournament.

Morozova also defeated opponents from Illinois State and Saint Louis in the first two rounds, but in the semifinal round, she was matched up against her teammate, junior Maria Martinez. Morozova prevailed in the Jayhawk-vs.-Jayhawk matchup, winning 6-1, 7-5. Martinez’s only singles loss came from the match against Morozova.

Teammates Lazarevic and Morozova were scheduled against each other in the finals, but Hall-Holt decided that the two would not play in order to avoid potential injuries.

Lazarevic and Morozova said they were not disappointed with the unresolved outcome.

“It really doesn’t matter,” said Morozova, who said she was happy to share the top spot with her teammate.

In the second bracket, Wilbert began with a bye and faced only Illinois State players after that. She defeated Hannah Esker and Carmen Peters without too much trouble, but then needed three sets to win Sunday’s final match against Illinois State’s Franzi Steinhardt. After losing the first set 4-6, Wilbert came back to win 6-3, 6-2 in the last two sets.

Freshman Vika Khanevskaya, sophomore Alie Dzuba and junior Kate Goff also competed in the same bracket. Khanevskaya and Dzuba picked up three victories apiece.

The Jayhawks were also successful in doubles competition and finished with a 7-2 team record. The duos of Lazarevic and Morozova and Wilbert and Khanevskaya went undefeated in the three days.

“This really showed us that our hard work will pay off,” Lazarevic said.

Lazarevic and Morozova said they were proud of their performance together and said they hope to qualify for the ITA Regional Oct. 22 in Norman, Okla.

Hall-Holt said she is also optimistic about the coming matches.

“We’re hoping to continue building a lot of self-esteem,” Hall-Holt said. “We have a lot of good things ahead of us.”

— — Edited by Nick Gerik