April 7, 2007
Columbia, Mo. -
The University of Missouri women's tennis team defeated the Kansas Jayhawks, 4-3, in front of a loud crowd at the Green Tennis Center in Columbia. With the win, the Tigers improve to 7-10 overall and 2-7 in the Big 12. Kansas falls to 4-12 and 2-5 in the conference.
After the match, Tiger Head Coach Blake Starkey was excited about the win.
"This is a big win for this group of girls, and I'm very proud of all of them. It was a complete team win and Kansas gave us everything we could handle. I've got nothing but respect for (KU Head Coach) Amy (Hall-Holt) and for the Kansas girls."
The match started out with a close doubles point. The Tigers won the first match to finish, the No. 3 doubles contest, 8-3. MU's Kaitlin Dunham and Chrissy Svetlic dominated KU's Stephanie Smith and Yuliana Svistun at the net to earn their second Big 12 win of the spring.
The Tiger duo of Katelyn McKenzie and Raquel Wagner lost at the No. 1 spot, 8-2, to KU's top duo of Elizaveta Avdeeva and Edina Horvath, so the doubles point came down to the No. 2 match between MU seniors Erika Josbena and Amanda Pratzel and KU's Lauren Hommell and Kunigunda Dorn.
After the first three games, Josbena and Pratzel were down, 2-1, when the senior duo battled back to break their KU counterparts. Throughout the rest of the match Josbena's solid serving and Pratzel's impressive net play proved too much for the Jayhawks. Josbena and Pratzel seized the final two games of the match to win it 8-6 to earn the Tigers the first point of the match.
Mizzou then went into singles play needing three victories to win the match.
At No. 4 singles, Kaitlin Dunham jumped out and won the first set, 6-1, continuing her momentum from doubles action. After the set, Hommell retired because of an injury, giving Dunham the Tigers first singles win of the day.
Pratzel lost a tough match at No. 1, 6-2, 6-3, to KU's top singles player, Elizaveta Avdeeva. After that match, the Tigers' lead slimmed to 2-1.
Kansas would win the next match, the No. 3 singles contest between Horvath and Josbena, 6-3, 6-4, to even the overall score at 2-2.
McKenzie lost her match at No. 5 in straight sets, giving KU a 3-2 lead, but the Tigers would not lose a match after that, taking a 4-3 win against the Jayhawks. How did they do it? Behind a solid team effort, including Kansas City native Chrissy Svetlic's strong play at No. 2.
Chrissy Svetlic stepped into the number two singles spot for the third consecutive week. After losing the first set 6-2, Svetlic demonstrated her maturity and will in the second. The junior grabbed an early 5-2 to lead after a couple of quick breaks and held on to win the set 7-5. Svetlic's mental toughness reigned supreme in the third set, as she made key plays in long rallies and achieved success at the net to win the set and clinch her first win at number two by a score of 2-6, 7-5, 6-1. The win was her team-leading 18th of the year, including fall tournament play.
Svetlic's win tied the match at 3-3, with one more match to finish, the No. 6 match between Wagner and Smith. Just as Svetlic was finishing her three-set battle, Wagner who was up a set, but down in the second, 3-2, won eight of the next nine points to take a 4-3 lead. She continued her momentum to take the second set, 6-4, to clinch the match for the Tigers.
This was Wagner's first match-clinching win of her career, and she loved it. "To get to play for the match, against Kansas, it's fun," Wagner said, after the match. The conference win was her fourth Big 12 win of the season, which leads the team. She currently sits at 17-13 overall and 8-8 in the spring.
Home Sweet Home
The Tigers are 5-4 at home this season, with wins over Kansas, Murray State, Drake, Montana, and then-No. 63 Kansas State. The Tigers are 44-19 at the Green Tennis Center since its opening in 2002.
Border Showdown
The University of Missouri currently holds a 16-12 lead in the Border Showdown Presented by Midwest Ford Dealers. The Tigers earned three points to increase Mizzou's lead in the series.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will stay at home next weekend as they continue their Big 12 schedule by hosting Iowa Sate, Saturday April 14 at 1 p.m. at the Green Tennis Center. Mizzou closes out the regular season against Wichita State (April 19) and Texas (April 21) before the Big 12 Championships, which start April 26th.
Kansas 3 Missouri 4
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Green Tennis Center Indoor Courts
Columbia, Mo.
Doubles
1. Elizaveta Avdeeva/Edina Horvath (KU) def. Katelyn McKenzie/Raquel Wagner (MU) 8-2
2. Erika Josbena/Amanda Pratzel (MU) def. Lauren Hommell/Kunigunda Dorn (KU) 8-6
3. Kaitlin Dunham/Chrissy Svetlic (MU) def. Stephanie Smith/Yuliana Svistun (KU) 8-3
Order of finish 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. Elizaveta Avdeeva (KU) def. Amanda Pratzel (MU) 6-2, 6-3
2. Chrissy Svetlic (MU) def. Kunigunda Dorn (KU) 2-6, 7-5, 6-1
3. Edina Horvath (KU) def. Erika Josbena (MU) 6-3, 6-4
4. Kaitlin Dunham (MU) def. Lauren Hommell (KU) 6-1, ret. injury
5. Yuliana Svistun (KU) def. Katelyn McKenzie (MU) 6-0, 6-4
6. Raquel Wagner (MU) vs. Stephanie Smith (KU) 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish
4, 1, 3, 5, 2, 6
Note-No.'s 5 and 6 started after 4 and 1 finished
