WICHITA, Kan. - The Wichita State women's tennis team looks to remain perfect in MVC play as they close out the regular season with Illinois State and Bradley on Sat., April 22 at the Coleman Tennis Complex. WSU will play ILS at 9 a.m., and then BU at 1 p.m. Tomorrow is also Senior Day, where the team will honor senior
Tanaporn Thongsing. The Shockers are looking to continue their 84-match winning streak against conference opponents.
The Shockers (13-8, 5-0 MVC) have won nine of their last ten, losing their most recent match at Iowa 3-4 back on April 10. Thongsing leads the team in overall wins with a 25-9 record (11-5 in duals) so far this year. Freshman
Fatima Bizhukova is riding a 10-match win streak, and is 17-4 in duals, best on the team.
Giulia Guidetti and
Gabriela Porubin are tied for second-most overall wins at 21, with Guidetti holding down the No. 1 flight all season with a 10-7 record. Porubin and Bizhukova have been strong together in doubles play, going 14-6 in the top flight.
Illinois State (11-10, 5-1 MVC) has won five of their last six contests - all with conference foes - only losing 3-4 to Southern Illinois. Marcia Tere-Apisah (18-8 overall) has exclusively played in the top flight for the Redbirds. She currently has a five-match winning streak, and is 10-6 in the No. 1 spot so far. Valerija Gercar (19-7, 14-4 duals) has also won five-straight, and is a perfect 5-0 when playing in the fourth flight.
Bradley (10-12, 1-4 MVC) has struggled since starting Valley play, but enter Saturday coming off a 4-3 victory over Northern Iowa. Ariel Dechter (8-11 in duals) has been the primary top-flight player for the Braves. Aimee Manfredo (19-10, 14-7 duals) and Malini Wijesinghe (17-14, 12-10 duals) have winning records in several flights in the back half of the lineup.
Last year, WSU swept Illinois State and Bradley in the regular season, and also swept Bradley again in the semifinals at the MVC Championships.
Looking Ahead:
The Shockers will seek their ninth-straight conference title, and automatic NCAA Tournament bid, in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship tournament on April 28-30 in Normal, Ill. at the Gregory Street Tennis Courts.
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