Box Score IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Natsumi Kurahashi's three singles wins and a doubles run by Lingwei Kong and Vitalia Stamat highlighted Wichita State's weekend at the ITA Central Region Championships at the University of Iowa's Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center.
 
"Regionals is always a great opportunity to get a big mix of competition against different levels," head coach Colin Foster said. "We competed hard all weekend and got better. We learned a lot, and the players were quick to implement things we were talking about into their matches."
 
Kurahashi won two singles qualifying matches plus her opener in the main draw before losing a Round-of-64 heartbreaker on Friday evening to Oklahoma's Alexandra Pisareva, who fended off four different match point opportunities during a third-set tiebreaker for a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7) victory. It was Kurahashi's first singles setback after six-straight wins to start the year.
 
Kong also bowed out in the Round of 64. After dropping just three games in her opening-round win, she fell in straight-sets to nationally-ranked Ayumi Miyamoto of Oklahoma State.
 
First-time partners Kong and Stamat staged the deepest doubles run by a Shocker tandem at this event since 2015, breezing past teams from South Dakota and Minnesota into the Round of 16. However, OSU's Miyamoto was the villain again Saturday morning, teaming with Dariya Detkovskaya for an 8-5 victory over the Wichita State duo.
 
Kong and Stamat weren't the only Shockers who experienced doubles success. Kurahashi and Clara Whitaker also advanced in the draw with a Round-of-64 win over Tulsa before falling to a duo from Arkansas.
 
The Shockers went a combined 11-7 in singles matches, with every player earning at least one victory. Four of the seven losses came in tiebreakers.

Like Kurahashi, Jessie Zheng swept two Thursday qualifying matches to reach the main draw. Clara Whitaker and Harriet Hamilton each split two matches in the qualifying draw.
 
The Shockers are off next weekend then wrap up the fall tournament season Nov. 5-7 at the Tulsa Invitational.
 

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ITA CENTRAL REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS
Oct. 21-25, 2021
Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye Sports & Recreation Complex)
 
Singles:
Kurahashi: 3-1 (Rd. of 64)
Kong: 1-1 (Rd. of 64)
Zheng: 3-2 (Rd. of 96)
Hamilton: 2-2 (Qualifying Rd. 2/2)
Whitaker: 2-1 (Qualifying Rd. 1/2)
 
Doubles:
Kong/Stamat (WSU): 2-1 (Rd. of 16)
Kurahashi/Whitaker (WSU): 1-1 (Rd. of 32)
Rademacher/Zheng (WSU): 0-1 (Rd. of 64)
Hamilton/Rademacher: 1-0
 

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THURSDAY, OCT. 21
 
Singles Qualifying; Round 1 of 2:
Harriet Hamilton (WSU) def. Zere Iskokova (ORU) – 6-3, 4-6, (10-2)
Natsumi Kurahashi (WSU) def. Nore Heinitz (UND) – 6-1, 6-2
Fabiola Perez (SIUE) def. Clara Whitaker (WSU) – 6-1, 6-2
Jessie Zheng (WSU) vs. Lilian Tiemeyer (Omaha) – 6-3, 6-2
 
Singles Qualifying; Round 2 of 2:
Sonia Skobkareva (SLU) def. Hamilton (WSU) – 6-2, 4-6, (10-8)
Kurahashi (WSU) def. Alyson Piskulic (MOST) – 6-2, 6-1
Zheng (WSU) def. Mei Ishimura (UCA) – 6-3, 6-3
 
Doubles; Round of 64:
Kurahashi/Whitaker (WSU) def. Hutchings/Naranjo (TLS) – 6-3
Kong/Stamat (WSU) def. Kmoskova/Havlickova (USD) – 6-2
Hesham/Mintusova (SLU) def. Rademacher/Zheng (WSU) – 6-0
 

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FRIDAY, OCT. 22
 
Singles; Round of 96
Kurahashi (WSU) def. Jana Lazarevic (USD) – 6-3, 6-2
Vasiliki Karvouni (MIN) def. Zheng (WSU) – 6-0, 6-1
Lingwei Kong (WSU) def. Emily Surcey (ARKST) – 6-2, 6-1
 
Singles Qualifying; Consolation Match
Whitaker (WSU) def. Kate Sexton (SLU) – 6-1, 6-0
 
Singles Consolation; Round of 32
Ioana Gheorghita (KSU) def. Zheng (WSU) – 6-0, 4-6, (10-7)
 
Singles; Round of 64
Alexandra Pisareva (OU) def. Kurahashi (WSU) – 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7)
#93 Ayumi Miyamoto (OSU) def. Kong (WSU) – 6-2, 6-0

Singles; Extra Match
Hamilton (WSU) def. Vivian Lai (SEMO) – 6-2, 6-1
 
Doubles; Round of 32
Cross/Rice (ARK) def. Kurahashi/Whitaker (WSU) – 8-4
Kong/Stamat (WSU) def. Karvouni/Rizzolo (MIN) – 8-4
 

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SATURDAY, OCT. 23
 
Doubles; Round of 16
Detkovskaya/Miyamoto (OSU) def. Kong/Stamat (WSU) – 8-5
 
Singles; Extra Matches
Michelle Bacalla (Iowa) def. Hamilton (WSU) – 6-2, 1-6, (12-10)
Zheng (WSU) def. Kelsey Neville (Drake) – 6-3, 6-0
Whitaker (WSU) def. Shinakova (SEMO) – 5-7, 6-2, (10-8)
 
Doubles; Extra Matches
Hamilton/Rademacher (WSU) def. Jaeun Lee/Maja Gledic (UCA) – 8-2