WICHITA, Kan. – The Wichita State women's tennis team will hold a free, ongoing kids clinic during Saturday's 11 a.m. home match against Northern Iowa at the Sheldon Coleman Tennis Complex.
 
Rackets and tennis balls will be provided on two open courts. Area youth can practice their skills and help cheer on the Shockers in their dual against the Panthers, while enjoying free pizza.
 
WSU tennis will be helping to raise funds for the Pando Initiative (formerly known as Communities in Schools – Wichita), a locally-based group that seeks to connect with students who are struggling with life and school and help them to thrive, through a combination of goal setting, one-on-one mentoring and other activities designed to improve school attendance, behavior and academic performance.
 
Throughout the year, women's tennis players have served as mentors through the Pando Initiative, and many of those kids will be on hand for Saturday's clinic.
 
"It's a unique opportunity to interact with kids personally, WSU sophomore Gabriela Porubin said. "We've been doing it consistently for a long period of time. The treasure of this experience is the bond and true relationship that we are able to build with these kids. It is amazing to see how they grow and change as a result of our interaction with them."
 
For more on the Pando Initiative, visit thepandoinitiative.org.
 
WSU Weekend Schedule:
Saturday, 11 a.m. – vs. Northern Iowa – Free Pizza and Kids' Clinic during the match
Sunday, 10 a.m. – vs. Drake – Free coffee and doughnuts
 
Live Scoring:
Saturday vs. UNI
Sunday vs. Drake
 
The Shockers – ranked No. 22 in this week's Oracle/ITA Division I Rankings - have won 70-consecutive dual matches against Missouri Valley Conference foes, dating back to the 2008 season and also own a school-record 29-match home winning streak.