WICHITA, Kan. - -  The Wichita State women's tennis team opens a three-game home stand starting Friday, Feb. 2 in Wichita. The Shockers (3-1) will host NC State at the Wichita Country Club, scheduled for 3 p.m. On Sunday, the Mavericks of UT-Arlington and UMKC come to town to face the Shockers for a doubleheader. (11 a.m., 2 p.m.)
 
ON THE WOLFPACK
NC State is 0-2 on the young season, with losses to (rv) Kentucky (4-2) and No. 13 UCLA (4-0).
 
Wolfpack in the Rankings
Claudia Wiktorin is the lone singles player ranked, coming in at No. 61. Wiktorin is 0-2 in duals, all in the fourth flight.
 
In doubles, Claudia Wiktorin/Anna Rogers come in as a top-10 tandem.  To start the season, the No. 9 ranked duo defeated Hart/Shibahara of UCLA (6-2) who rank No. 7.  They are 1-1 in duals for the season.
 
The Wolfpack finished the 2016-17 season 19-11 (7-7 ACC). They advanced to the postseason, where they knocked off No. 35 Oregon to advance to the round of 32. NC State ended the season ranked No. 26 in final ITA Team Rankings.
 
This is the first-ever meeting for the Shockers and Wolfpack.
 
ON THE MAVERICKS
UT-Arlington opens the season Friday, Feb. 2 at home against UTRGV, and will face UMKC Saturday in Wichita for a neutral match. The Shockers and Mavericks face off Sunday at 11 a.m.
 
The Mavericks finished 11-10 (4-0 Sun Belt) last season. They lose two all-conference seniors in Astrid Gehre and Anna Wichert. Agustina Serio is the lone senior on the roster, an all-conference player a season ago.  
 
Wichita State head coach Colin Foster holds a 4-1 record against UTA, with the last two meeting in 2016. The Shockers swept then No. 48 ranked UT-Arlington (4-0) at the Sheldon Coleman Tennis Complex. Overall, this will be the seventh meeting between the two programs, with the Shockers holding a 5-1 advantage.
 
ON THE ROOS
UMKC (3-1) has wins over Central Arkansas, Arkansas State and Omaha this season, with their only loss to Kansas State.
 
Kendell Hale is in his ninth season with the Roos, who went 14-9 (3-2 WAC) in 2016-17.  Junior Katie Fries leads the Roos with an 8-2 record in singles play (2-1 in duals).
 
The Shockers have an 8-0 overall record all-time against the Roos.  In 2017, the Shockers swept UMKC 4-0 in Westwood.
 
New Conference, Same Goals
 The Shockers begin the 2018 season with a 3-1 record in their inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference.  WSU has defeated Stephen F. Austin, SMU, and FIU. Their lone loss was to No. 8 Texas Tech. WSU has already faced American conference opponent, SMU this season. The Shockers took down the Mustangs 5-2 in Dallas, Texas.  Although they play conference opponents during the season, they do not count as conference games. The conference action begins at the SMU Tennis Complex, Apr. 18-21 at The American Championship in Dallas. Ninth-year head coach Colin Foster has the same goals in the American as he did in the Missouri Valley, where he never lost a conference match in eight seasons (78-0) including conference tournaments.

Quotable
 Head Coach Colin Foster on move from Missouri Valley to American Athletic conference and playing in American Championship:
"Our goal is to win every match. That goal doesn't change from the Missouri Valley to the American. We know that the competition is tougher and the challenge is going to be bigger. That doesn't change our goals. If we would have lost a match in the Missouri Valley, then so be it. If we lose a match in the American Tournament….that's part of sports. We're certainly excited and confident that we can go in there and play with any team in this league. "
 
Down Goes No. 3
 Sophomore Fatima Bizhukova has started the spring season on a high note. Bizhukova, who is 3-0 in the first flight of singles, knocked off No. 3 Andrea Lazaro in straight sets (6-1, 6-2) leading the Shockers past FIU in opening round of ITA Kick-Off in Lubbock last weekend.  The sophomore from Russia had No. 5 Gabriela Talaba of Texas Tech on the ropes, leading 6-2, 5-2 before the match went unfinished.
 
Fall Ball
Bizhukova, who ranked No. 102 in Preseason Rankings, led all singles players in the fall, compiling a 7-5 record in tournament play.  Bizhukova had two top-100 victories to her name.  Bizhukova felt that she had areas to improve from her fall season,  "My fall season was not very good, I was thinking too much about the ranking. I was trying to win all my matches. But now, I feel that you have to win, but if you enjoy it you will win for sure."
Sophomore Marta Bellucco went 6-3 in the fall season, and and Sarvinoz Saidhujaeva finished 5-3.
In doubles, Senior Gabriela Porubin and Bizhukova, who ranked No. 16 in Fall Rankings, went 7-3 with wins over two top-50 tandems.
 
Returners
 Seniors Giulia Guidetti and Gabriela Porubin lead a group of five returners from a season ago.  The senior tandem is in the top-20 for singles wins in school history. (Guidetti, 79. Porubin, 77). Along with Bizhukova, sophomores Bellucco and Ting-Ya Hsu are among the returners. Junior Sandra Honigova returns to the court after sitting out last season. (transferred from FIU in 2015-16).
 
New Faces
The Shockers welcomed two newcomers to the 2017-18 squad. Sophomore Sarvinoz Saidhujaeva comes to WSU from Uzbekistan, where she began play for the Shockers in the fall. Saidhujaeva went 5-3 in fall play, and is 1-3 in dual play, with matches in third, fifth and sixth flight.  Freshman Alexandra Lazarova joined the Shockers in the fall, and compiled a 6-6 record. Lazarova, from Slovakia, is 1-1 in dual matches all in the sixth flight.
 
Shockers in the Rankings
WSU has a doubles tandem ranked in the latest ITA Women's Doubles Rankings. Bizhukova and Porubin rank No. 27. The duo is 9-5 overall, and 2-2 in dual action. Their two losses were against top-25 opponents (Texas Tech, FIU).  Bizhukova is on pace to be ranked in singles after her recent victory over No. 3…She was ranked No. 102 in fall preseason rankings, according to ITA.
 
-A Shocker victory Friday would move the Shockers to 4-1 for the fourth-straight season.
-A victory would be the first over NC State in program history.