RESULTS

LAWRENCE, Kan. - No. 20 Kansas used a late rally to edge past the Shockers, 4-3, Friday evening at the Jayhawk Tennis Complex.
 
HEAD COACH COLIN FOSTER
"It was a great match between two top-25 teams. I'm really proud of the effort and fight to the finish. We've got to refocus quickly for a tough test tomorrow (with Gonzaga), but I know this team will be ready and hungry to get after it."
 
DOUBLES
Senior Gabriela Porubin and Sarvinoz Saidhujaeva teamed for the first time this season, taking on Maria Toran Ribes and Despoina Vogasari in flight three. After falling behind 5-1, the Kansas duo roared back to take two games before Porubin and Saidhujaeva closed it out (6-3) to give No. 20 ranked WSU an early advantage. KU's No. 29 ranked duo of Anastasia Rychagova and Nina Khmelnitckaia dropped Fatima Bizhukova and Marta Bellucco in the first flight (6-2), in just their third match together this season. It all came down to flight two, where the undefeated Shocker duo of Ting-Ya Hsu and Giulia Guidetti clashed with Janet Koch and Tatiana Nikolaeva of Kansas.  Hsu and Guidetti extended their win streak to eight (6-4), clinching the doubles point for the Shockers.
 
SINGLES
The Jayhawks regained the lead with wins in the first and second flights. No. 1 ranked Anastasia Rychagova defeated No. 71 Bizhukova in straight sets (6-1, 6-0). In the second flight, Sandra Honigova lost for just the second time this season in straight sets to No. 77 Despoina Vogasari (6-0, 6-2) to give Kansas the advantage, 2-1.
 
Playing in the fifth flight for the first time this season, Porubin dropped Toran Ribes to even the match at two. Toran Ribes seen her 5-4 lead disappear as Porubin battle back to force a tiebreaker in the first set. After taking the tiebreaker, Porubin won handily in set two to collect her seventh win of the season for the Shockers.
 
Flights three; four and six went the distance between the two teams.  After falling to Saidhujaeva in the first set (6-2), Nikolaeva rallied back to win the final two sets (6-3, 6-2) in flight six to give KU the lead, 3-2.
 
Guidetti bounced back for the Shockers, taking down Koch in the third flight to set the match up for Bellucco. Running away with the first set (6-2), Guidetti dropped the second set (7-5) to set up a third set. The senior rolled, winning (6-3) to tie the dual at three.
 
Bellucco was in familiar territory for the Shockers, being in eight three-set matches already this season. The sophomore from Italy traded sets with Khmelnitckaia in flight four to force a decisive third set. After trading games, the two went into a tiebreaker. In a tough back-and-forth affair, it was Khmelnitchkaia who came out on top (7-6 (10)) to give the Jayhawks the dual.
 
Wichita State moves to 10-4 on the season, and will take on Gonzaga tomorrow (1 p.m.) at the Jayhawk Tennis Center.