WICHITA, Kan.- The Shocker women's tennis team won
back-to-back matches on Saturday, including a six-hour battle against No. 51
North Texas.
For the second time in two matches, the Shockers had to come
back after dropping the doubles point in their first match against North Texas. The two teams
would split the first two matches when Carla Venticinque and Lutfiana Budiharto
defeated Irina Paraschiv and F. Sprinkmeyer of North Texas, 8-0, and Nadia Lee
and Barbora Vykydalova of North Texas defeated Veronika Blaskova and Lucia
Kovalova, 8-5. Then, in the match that decided the point, Kseniya Bardabush and
Valentina Starkova defeated Montse B. Fernandez and Delia Damaschin, 9-7, to
put the Mean Green up, 1-0.
The Shockers came out fighting in the singles competition,
winning the first three matches to go up, 3-1. North Texas did not give in
though, winning the next two to tie the match at three all with the sixth and
final singles competition yet to be decided. In the end, Satjaporn
Mahajaroenkul defeated Paula Dinuta, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, to give the Shockers the
win, 4-3.
"Yok's match could have gone either way and she just hustled
for every single ball and found a way to get the win," said head coach Colin
Foster.
The win against the Mean Green gave the Shocker women their
second win of the season against a ranked opponent.
After playing indoors at Wichita Country Club against North
Texas, the Shockers moved outdoors to the Sheldon Coleman Tennis Complex for
the night match against Cowley County.
Despite the long, six-hour battle with North Texas only an
hour before, the Shockers did not let up. They defeated the Tigers in every
single contest to take the match, 7-0. The outdoor experience was good for
Wichita State though. "This evening was important for us to get a match
outdoors as we prepare for our matches in Texas," said Foster.
The two wins on Saturday moves the Shocker women to 9-5 on
the season.
The Shockers will head to Arlington, Texas on Wednesday, March
21 to take on Texas-Arlington at 3 p.m. The next day, they will head to Dallas,
Texas for a match against Southern Methodist at noon.
-WICHITA STATE-
