MATCH INFORMATION
 
#36 WICHITA STATE (11-3) AT #42 RICE (7-3)
Saturday, March 7 | 11:00 AM CT
Houston, Texas | George R. Brown Tennis Center
 
Openers

• Wichita State has won its last nine matches, the longest winning streak since 2016 when the Shockers won 17 in a row, which is the program record.
• Wichita State has been ranked as high as No. 24 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings this season and is currently No. 36.
• The Shockers are the second-highest ranked team in the American, behind Charlotte, which is No. 26.
• Wichita State is 4-1 this season in road matches, with the only defeat coming at No. 6 Oklahoma.

The Eddins Era

• Wichita State women's tennis is in its first season under head coach Jacob Eddins, who was named the ninth head coach in program history on Sept. 15, 2025. The Eddins era began with a 4-0 win over Texas State on Jan. 17 in Norman, Okla.
• Eddins came to Wichita from Illinois, where he served as associate head coach for two seasons, compiling 32 dual-match wins and earning two bids to the NCAA Tournament.
• Eddins' stint with Wichita State is his first as a head coach.
• Eddins became the fifth Shocker head coach to earn a win in his debut all-time and improved the record of Shocker head coaches in their debuts to 5-4.

Thursday Recap

• Wichita State defeated UTSA on Thursday, 4-1.
• The Shockers won their 10th consecutive doubles point, with wins by Xin Tong Wang and Giorgia Roselli, and Theodora Chantava and Kristina Kudryavtseva.
• Wang, Roselli and Kudryavtseva earned straight-set singles wins to close out the match.

In the Rankings

• Wang and Roselli were ranked No. 12 in doubles in the March 3 ITA rankings. The pair has been ranked as high as No. 9, which is the highest doubles ranking in program history.
• Wang was ranked for the 14th time in singles in her career, coming in at No. 124.
• Chantava appeared in the singles rankings for the first time in her college career, ranked at No. 106. 
• Chantava and Wang are the only ranked singles players in the American Conference.

Remnants of the Past

• Wichita State finished 13-10 last season, reaching a national ranking as high as No. 47, and ending the year ranked No. 60.
• The Shockers returned 95.1% of their win production from last season and added an experienced transfer in Vichitraporn Vimuktananda.
• Seven Shockers have at least two years of playing experience. Five are academic seniors or graduate students.
• The five Wichita State seniors are the most on a roster for the Shockers since the 2019-20 season, when they had seven.

Doubles is the Key

• In matches in which Wichita State won the doubles point last season, the Shockers went 11-2, with the only losses coming against No. 47/46 Charlotte and Washington State.
• When the Shockers lost the doubles point, they went just 2-8.
• This season, the Shockers are 10-1 when winning the doubles point, and 1-2 when they don't.
• The Shockers have won the doubles point in their last 10 matches.

Against the American

• Rice will be the third American Conference opponent the Shockers have faced this season.
• In addition to beating UTSA on Thursday, Wichita State defeated Tulane on Feb. 15 in Wichita, 4-0.
• The Shockers are 17-26 against American Conference teams in the regular season since joining the conference in 2018, and are 7-15 playing conference opponents on the road.
• Last season, Wichita State posted its best record against conference opponents since joining the American, going 5-3.

Rice Notes

• Rice is in its 18th season under head coach Elizabeth Schmidt.
• The Owls enter on a three-match win streak and have won four of their last five.
• Rice is 3-0 against American Conference opponents this season, beating Florida Atlantic, North Texas and UTSA.
• The Owls are 4-0 playing at home this season.
• Rice's Divna Ratkovic was named the American Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Week on Tuesday.

Series History vs. Rice

• Rice has a commanding advantage in the all-time series with Wichita State, leading 7-1.
• The teams have met five times since 2010, with Rice winning four of those matchups.
• Wichita State's only win in the series came on March 12, 2010, in Wichita, 4-3.
• The Owls dominated last year's matchup, limiting the Shockers to just two set victories in singles in a 4-0 Rice win.
• In the three all-time matchups in Houston, Rice has outscored Wichita State 13-3.

Next Up
The Shockers face Arkansas State on March 13 in Indian Wells, Calif.