RCW: Sport Spotlight 4.28 (Tennis)

No. 17 Kansas blanks No. 16 Texas Tech at home!! Final from Lubbock ?? pic.twitter.com/Qbr6YlH4Nk

— Kansas Tennis (@KansasTennis) March 24, 2018

 

chipotle 

That feeling when you blank No. 16 Texas Tech, 4-0, in Lubbock ??

A post shared by Kansas Tennis (@kansastennis) on Mar 23, 2018 at 7:00pm PDT

The top three singles players for the No. 17-ranked Kansas women’s tennis squad were the difference makers in the team’s two road wins over the weekend.
 
The Jayhawks first blanked No. 16 Texas Tech, 4-0, in Lubbock Friday, and then followed with a 4-1 win against TCU Sunday in Fort Worth.
 
“Our top three definitely stepped up in both matches and that was big,” said head coach Todd Chapman. “Without Nas (Anastasia Rychagova) playing in the lineup, we needed that. We had to have that. I think it shows what Deb (Despoina Vogasari), Nina (Khmelnitckaia) and Janet (Koch) all bring to the table. They were all 6-0 over the weekend in singles and that’s a tall task. I couldn’t be more impressed with the leadership and confidence they played with this weekend.”
 
With a 1-0 lead over the Lady Raiders after doubles, senior Vogasari, junior Koch and junior Khmelnitckaia got to work at the top of the lineup. No. 118-ranked Vogasari was the first to finish her match, defeating the nation’s No. 11-ranked Gabriela Talaba, 6-2, 6-2, on court one.
 
Competing at the No. 2 spot, Koch finished just seconds after with her own, 6-2, 6-2, victory opposite of No. 41 Felicity Maltby. Finding herself in the match-clinching position for the third time this season, Khmelnitckaia edged No. 85 Dvorak, 6-0, 6-4, to claim the overall match for Kansas, 4-0. The team win ended a 13-match losing streak against Texas Tech.
 
The Jayhawks started their match with TCU two days later the same way – winning the doubles point. Vogasari, Koch and Khmelnitckaia each played a tiebreaker in one of their sets to pull off the win against TCU. This time, Koch was finished first, topping Marie Norris, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3. Khmelnitckaia took the next Kansas match, outlasting Aleksandra Zenovka, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2).
 
Holding a 3-1 lead over the Horned Frogs, Vogasari finished strong with a, 7-6 (7-5), 6-0, win over Aleksa Cveticanin, clinching the match at 4-1. Sunday’s defeat of TCU marked KU’s second-ever win over the Horned Frogs in program history.