MATCH INFORMATION

[8] UAB (11-11) VS. [1] #28 WICHITA STATE (19-3)
Friday, April 17 | 10 a.m. CT
Houston, Texas | George R. Brown Tennis Center
 
Openers

• Wichita State has won its last 17 matches, tying the program record for longest winning streak, set in 2016.
• Wichita State has been ranked as high as No. 24 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings this season and is currently No. 28.
• The Shockers are the highest-ranked team in the American.
• Wichita State is 19-3 on the season and 10-3 not playing in Wichita.
• The Shockers are 6-0 against American Conference teams this season and 13-3 against nonconference opponents.
• Wichita State's 19 match wins are its most in a season since 2016, when they won 27, which is the program record for wins in a season.

The Eddins Era

• Wichita State women's tennis began its first dual 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.

Last Match Recap

• Wichita State defeated Tulsa 4-1 on Saturday, April 11, for its 17th consecutive win.
• The Shockers won doubles with wins at courts No. 1 and No. 2. Theodora Chantava and Kristina Kudryavtseva rallied from down 4-1 at No. 2 to clinch the point.
• Xin Tong Wang, Tatyana Nikolenko and Vichitraporn Vimuktananda all earned singles wins to capture the victory for Wichita State.

In the Rankings

• Xin Tong Wang and Giorgia Roselli were ranked No. 34 in doubles in the April 14 ITA rankings. The pair has been ranked as high as No. 9, which is the highest doubles ranking in program history.
• Wichita State was ranked No. 28 as a team for the second consecutive week, its eighth top 30 ranking of the season.
• Chantava moved back up 10 spots to No. 92 in singles.

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 return 95.1% of their dual-match win production from last season and added an experienced transfer in 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

• This season, the Shockers are 17-1 when winning the doubles point, and 2-2 when they don't.
• The Shockers won 15 consecutive doubles points before North Texas broke the streak.
• Long Beach State is the only team this season to survive losing the doubles point against Wichita State.

Against the American

• UAB will be the seventh American Conference opponent the Shockers have faced this season.
• Wichita State has defeated American Conference teams UTSA, Rice, Tulane, South Florida, North Texas and Tulsa already this season.
• The Shockers are 21-26 against American Conference teams in the regular season since joining the conference in 2018. 
• Last season, Wichita State posted its best record against conference opponents since joining the America, going 5-3.

At the American Championship

• Wichita State is 4-7 competing at the American Championship.
• The Shockers have not advanced past the semifinals and have done so just once.
• This year's championship is the first to feature Wichita State as the No. 1 seed.
• Playing as the higher seed, the Shockers are 3-0 at the American Championship.

UAB Notes

• Mark Tjia has been the head coach of UAB since 2014.
• The Blazers are 11-11 on the season and reached the quarterfinals after defeating the nine-seed Temple on Thursday, 4-0.
• UAB is just 3-8 playing away from Birmingham this season.
• In the regular season, UAB played just two American Conference teams in North Texas and Rice, losing to both.
• The Blazers are 0-2 against ranked opponents this season.

Series History vs. UAB

• UAB won the only meeting between the teams on March 30, 2024, in Memphis, Tennessee, 4-2. 

Next Up
With a win, Wichita State will face either four-seed Tulsa or 12-seed South Florida in the semifinals on Saturday at 10 a.m. CT.