EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The Wichita State women's tennis team added another trophy to an already impressive collection and punched a ticket to its seventh-consecutive NCAA Tournament with a 4-0 win over Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament final.
No. 33 WSU (24-3) has won every Valley regular season and tournament title since 2009 - a run of seven straight - and upped its overall conference tournament tally to 17.
Just as they did in their quarterfinal and semifinal wins earlier in the weekend, WSU squashed any dreams of an upset bid by winning the doubles point. Additional victories by Julia Schiller, Gabriela Porubin and Abby Stevens at Nos. 1, 2 and 4 singles iced the match.
Rebecca Pedrazzi and Lucia Kovalova were poised for points of their own on courts 3 and 5. Each was a game away from victory when played was stopped.
"We got down early in the doubles but didn't panic one bit," WSU head coach Colin Foster said. "Obviously there was still a lot of work to be done in singles, and we played well at every spot."
The Shockers dropped just one set over three days, improving to 46-2 this year in singles matches against MVC foes.
"This weekend was great, because we got contributions from everyone in our top eight," Foster added. "A few players were banged up earlier the week, and that depth enabled us to get them some much-needed rest. It also provided some valuable experience for our reserves, who got to play in a championship atmosphere."
By winning the conference tournament, WSU claimed the MVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Shockers will learn the opponent and destination when brackets are released on Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. CT. Fans are invited to join the team for its watch party, which will be held in the Champions Club room inside Charles Koch Arena.
"We're excited that our season is continuing," Foster said, "And we'll keep working hard in preparation for the next step.
WSU Women's Tennis Conference Champions:
1982 -- 22-10, MVC
1984 -- 18-13, Gateway
1986 -- 12-12, Gateway
1988 -- 15-12, Gateway
1994 -- 18-4, MVC
1995 -- 15-4, MVC
1997 -- 13-4, MVC
1998 -- 12-8, MVC
2006 -- 17-8, MVC
2007 -- 27-3, MVC
2009 -- 21-6, MVC
2010 -- 15-11, MVC
2011 -- 17-10, MVC
2012 -- 21-6, MVC
2013 -- 15-11, MVC
2014 -- 19-7, MVC
2015 -- 23-3, MVC
#33 Wichita State 4, Drake 0
MVC Tournament Championship
4/26/2015 at Evansville, Ind.Â
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Singles competition
5.
Lucia Kovalova (WSU) vs. Jensen, Adrienne (DU) 6-2, 5-3, unfinished
6. Aleks Trifunovic (WSU) vs. Eggleston, Jordan (DU) 3-6, 1-2, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Kovalova/Pedrazzi (WSU) def. Ante/Jensen (DU) 8-3
2. Schiller/Porubin (WSU) def. Boyd/Johnson (DU) 8-4
3. Trifunovic/Pump (WSU) vs. Eggleston/Herder (DU) 6-7, unfinished
Match Notes
Drake 21-6
Wichita State 24-3; National ranking #33
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,2,4)
Missouri Valley Conference Team Championships - Finals
WSU receives the MVC's automatic qualifying bid for the NCAA Tournament
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