Jayhawks to Conclude Regular Season Against No. 21 Texas A&M
April 20, 2007
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The University of Kansas will close out its regular season on Sunday when it hosts 21st-ranked Texas A&M. The contest is slated to begin at 11 a.m.
KU enters the finale with a record of 4-15 overall, and is currently in 11th place in the Big 12 with a 2-8 league mark. Sunday’s dual with the Aggies will be the 11th time in 20 contests this season that the Jayhawks have faced an opponent that appears in the latest national rankings.
Kansas is coming off a heartbreaking loss on Wednesday at Oklahoma in which it could not fend off a furious comeback from OU. The Jayhawks were on the brink of clinching the dual with a 3-1 lead after winning the doubles point and two of the first three singles matches to be completed. However, the Sooners stormed back, winning the four remaining singles contests, all of which went three sets, to escape with a 4-3 victory, sending KU to its seventh-straight defeat.
Notching doubles victories for Kansas were the tandems of junior Elizaveta Avdeeva and Edina Horvath in the No. 1 position, and junior Lauren Hommell and freshman Kunigunda Dorn in the No. 2 slot.
Avdeeva also broke a streak of two straight singles losses with her win over OU’s Gabby Baker in the No. 1 match. Also winning for Kansas was sophomore Yuliana Svistun, who’s victory in the No. 5 position was her fifth straight and improved her spring record to 14-5. Svistun 8-2 league record has her in contention for the conference championships at the No. 5 spot.
Texas A&M is in the midst of an impressive season in which the Aggies have gone 17-5, including a 7-2 Big 12 record which has them in a tie for third place. A&M’s most recent outing was a 4-3 setback at the hands of No. 41 Texas. The Aggies feature two of the nation’s top singles players in Anna Lubinsky and Elze Potgieter, who are ranked No. 24 and No. 113, respectively.
Last season, Texas A&M defeated Kansas, 6-1, on April 22 in College Station. KU’s only point came from Horvath’s win in the No. 5 singles contest.
Following Sunday’s outing with the Aggies, the Jayhawks will begin preparation for the Big 12 Championships in Kansas City, which run April 26-29 at the Plaza Tennis Center. More information about the Championships can be found by clicking here.
