TULSA, Okla. – The Wichita State women's tennis team ended its season Wednesday morning with a 5-1 loss to No. 7 seed Cincinnati in the first round of American Athletic Conference Team Championship at Tulsa's Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
The match was pushed indoors due to rain.
The 10
th-seeded Shockers (8-13) grabbed early momentum by winning the doubles point but lost four of the five singles matches in straight-sets.
Cincinnati (16-6) advances to Thursday's quarterfinal round against No. 2 seed SMU.
As they have in every match for the past six weeks, WSU fielded a lineup of just five healthy players, leading to defaults at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles.
Given little margin for error, the Shockers nevertheless put themselves in position for an impressive upset by winning the doubles point – an area in which they had struggled for much of the season.
"(Cincinnati) beat us comfortably at the No. 2 doubles spot last time we played, but we've tried some different combos the last few weeks" head coach
Colin Foster said. "We also worked on different formations to try and counter what we know Cincinnati does well."
The adjustments worked.
LingWei Kong and
Jessie Zheng cruised at No. 1 doubles, 6-0, and the No. 2 combo of
Harriet Hamilton and
Natsumi Kurahashi took four of the last five games in a 6-4 victory.
The emotional doubles win turned the match into a best-of-five singles affair, but the Shockers' were unable to build on their momentum, dropping first sets on all five courts.
"I thought Cincinnati played really well (in singles)," Foster said. "We're a bit better indoors, but they probably feel the same way. They have some big hitters who were really dialed in. Once they regained momentum, they really played freely."
Cincinnati racked up points on five of the six singles courts (by default at No. 6 and in straight sets on Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 5).
Jessie Zheng's No. 3 singles match was halted early in the third set after the Bearcats clinched the match with simultaneous victories at Nos. 1 and 2.
The loss ended an injury-plagued season for the Shockers who played just 13 of their 21 duals with a full contingent.
Foster hopes a short-term setback will pay dividends in the long run with five battled-tested players set to return in 2022-23.
"I told these five how proud I am that they've fought through this difficult season," Foster said. "They've each gotten stronger and better, and we're excited that they'll all be back next season, along with some reinforcements. Despite the record, there were a lot of positives and improvement. We've got the right culture going forward."
(7) Cincinnati 5, (10) Wichita State 1
American Athletic Conference Championship | First Round
Wednesday, Apr. 20, 2022 | 9 a.m. CT
Tulsa, Okla. | Michael D. Case Tennis Center
Singles:
1. Ioana Guna (CIN) def.
Natsumi Kurahashi (WICH) -- 6-4, 6-2
2. Maria Santilli (CIN) def.
LingWei Kong (WICH) -- 6-3, 6-3
3. Emma Miceli (CIN) led
Jessie Zheng (WICH) -- 6-1, 2-6, 1-0, unfinished
4. Kelli Niehaus (CIN) def.
Harriet Hamilton (WICH) -- 6-3, 6-3
5. Callie Flanagan (CIN) def.
Clara Whitaker (WICH) -- 7-6 (7-3), 6-1
6. Cincinnati won by default
Doubles:
1. Kong/Zheng (WICH) def. Cassie McLay/Elizabeth Pendergast (CIN) -- 6-0
2. Hamilton/Kurahashi (WICH) def. Guna/Miceli (CIN) -- 6-4
3. Cincinnati won by default
Match Notes:
Wichita State 8-13
Cincinnati 16-6
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,5,4,2,1) American Athletic Conference Championship
Match Time: 2:19
Played indoors due to rain
