WICHITA, Kan. – The Wichita State women's tennis team, ranked No. 40 nationally, defeated Kansas 6-1 for its sixth straight victory.

WSU (8-1) won a close doubles point. After the teams split Nos. 1 and No. 2, Luca Pump and Aleks Trifunovic notched a big win at the No. 3 position by a 7-5 score.

"Luka and Aleks had a few opportunities to take a commanding lead in their doubles but found themselves behind 5-4," WSU head coach Colin Foster said. "The important thing is that they never got flustered or disappointed. They just kept competing and found a way to win."

The Shockers built off of that momentum, playing from in front in all six singles matches by winning each of the six opening sets.

"Obviously we showed there that we can bounce back without the doubles point, but it definitely helped get us going in the right direction," Foster said. "We continue to compete and play well throughout the lineup."

Gabriela Porubin posted a quick 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 3 to make it a 2-0 WSU lead.

Julia Schilller won at No. 1 singles, following up a 6-2 first set win with a battle in the second. Schiller broke serve against KU's Maria Jose Cardona to draw even at 5-5, only to have Cardona return the favor. Schiller broke serve for the second time to send the match to knot the set at 6, then won a 7-0 tiebreaker to finish out the match.

Abby Stevens clinched the dual victory for WSU with a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 5.

The Shockers' only setback came at No. 4, where Lucia Kovalova split the first two sets, 7-5, 2-6 before going down briefly with an ankle injury. She returned but dropped the final set, 6-1.

With only five available courts, Trifunovic got a late start at No. 6 singles. She overcame a 6-5 deficit in the second set to win the match, 6-2, 7-6(2).

The Shockers are through with home action until March 28 and will play their next seven duals away from home. That stretch begins Saturday in a nationally ranked battle at No. 36 Oklahoma, beginning at Noon.

-Wichita State-