RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. - No. 23 Wichita State dropped North Texas Saturday afternoon, 4-2, at the Sunrise Country Club in Rancho Mirage.
HEAD COACH COLIN FOSTER
"It was another grind of a match that could have gone either way. On every court we're becoming more and more comfortable in these situations and today that was clear. We kept our composure in the critical moments and allowed ourselves to play the best tennis at the end and that made the difference.
Additionally, I would like to thank our administration and supporters in the Baseline Club and beyond for making a trip like this possible. These ladies put in the work day in and day out. This was definitely an important trip competitively and to come away 2-0 was important, but more importantly to create memories that will last a lifetime with their teammates. We are just grateful to those that helped make this trip possible. We also had some great Shocker fans at the match today that helped cheer us on in crucial moments."
DOUBLES
North Texas grabbed an early lead with wins in the first and second flights. Shocker duo
Fatima Bizhukova and
Marta Bellucco took on Tamuna Kutubidze and Alexandra Heczey in flight one, falling 6-4. Wichita State got one back in flight three where
Gabriela Porubin and Sarvinoz Saidhujavea dropped the Mean Green duo of Nidhi Surapaneni and Haruka Sasaki 6-3.
Giulia Guidetti and
Ting-Ya Hsu, who came into the match with a 9-1 record, forcedMaria Kononova and Minying Liang to a tiebreaker, before falling (7-6(4)), giving North Texas the doubles point.
SINGLES
102nd-ranked
Sandra Honigova got the Shockers rolling early, taking down Kutubidze in straight sets, (6-1, 6-1) to improve to 13-2 on the season. Bizhukova, who ranks 84th in the latest ITA Rankings, followed with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over 43rd ranked Kononova (6-4, 6-1) to give WSU a 2-1 lead over the Mean Green. North Texas evened the match with a victory in the fifth flight. Surapaneni dropped Porubin in a three-setter, (6-2, 4-6, 7-5). The Shockers would use wins in the next two flights, three and four, to clinch the 4-2 victory.
Guidetti battled Liang in a three-set match in the third flight, winning in the end (6-7(4), 6-2, 6-2), and improving her record to 11-4 on the season. Bellucco once again went the distance for the Shockers, where she took down Heczey (6-4, 4-6, 7-5). Bellucco improves to 8-3 on the season, and a winner of two-straight.
Wichita State (13-4) has the week off before they travel to Tulsa to take on the Golden Hurricane in a 'Havoc in the Heartland' series. The match is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 17 at the Case Center.
#23 Wichita State 4, North Texas 2
Singles Competition
1. #84 Fatima Bizhukova (WICH) def. Maria Kononova (NT) 6-4, 6-1
2. #102 Sandra Honigova (WICH) def. Tamuna Kutubidze (NT) 6-1, 6-1
3. Giulia Guidetti (WICH) def. Minying Liang (NT) 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-2
4. Marta Bellucco (WICH) def. Alexandra Heczey (NT) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
5. Nidhi Surapaneni (NT) def. Gabriela Porubin (WICH) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
6. Sarvinoz Saidhujaeva (WICH) vs. Haruka Sasaki (NT) 1-6, 7-5, 4-2, unfinished
Doubles Competition
1. Alexandra Heczey/Tamuna Kutubidze (NT) def. Marta Bellucco/Fatima Bizhukova (WICH) 6-4
2. Maria Kononova/Minying Liang (NT) def. Giulia Guidetti/Ting-Ya Hsu (WICH) 7-6 (7-4)
3. Sarvinoz Saidhujaeva/Gabriela Porubin (WICH) def. Nidhi Surapaneni/Haruka Sasaki (NT) 6-3
Match Notes:
North Texas 4-8
Wichita State 12-4; National ranking #23
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (2,1,5,3,4)
