🎾Match Preview: vs #22 Tennessee (ITA Kick-Off Weekend)
LAWRENCE, Kan. –No. 19 Kansas hosts three top-25 teams for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend on Friday, Jan. 24 and Saturday, Jan. 25. Play from the Jayhawk Tennis Center begins Friday at noon CT when Kansas faces No. 22 Tennessee. The 16th -ranked California Bears will play in the day’s second match at 3 p.m. CT, against No. 20 Virginia.
The two losing teams will match up on Saturday at 10 a.m., followed by the winning teams for the championship match at 1 p.m.
Host Site
Kansas is one of 15 programs to serve as host sites for the 2020 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Kick-Off Weekend. The annual event features 15 “regionals” played on both the men’s and women’s side, with four teams competing in each regional. The winners of the single-elimination event advance to the ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championships on Feb. 7-10 in Chicago. Illinois, who serves as the women’s host school for the National Team Indoors, receives an automatic invitation to the event and is exempt from competing in the 2020 ITA Kick-Off Weekend.
Coverage
For more information about each team and links for live coverage, click here.
A complete recap of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend will be posted to KUathletics.com following each dual match. You can follow @kansastennis on Twitter for live updates.
Team Rankings
The Jayhawks are No. 19 in the latest Oracle/ITA Collegiate Division I team national rankings (Jan. 22). Kansas is one of three Big 12 schools in the national poll, which also features Texas (7) and Oklahoma State (10).
Individual Rankings
Three KU players are featured in the top-100 of the latest Oracle/ITA individual rankings (No. 13): KU sophomore Sonia Smagina (No. 63), fellow second-year player Malkia Ngounoue (No. 93) for singles, and Smagina and freshman Carmen Roxana Manu (No. 42) for doubles.
Last Time Out
Dual season jumped off to a perfect start as the Jayhawks defeated both Drake (7-0) and Wichita State (6-1) on Jan. 18/19. KU swept Drake on its first day of competition while completing a comeback with strong singles action against Wichita State the following day.
Up Next
Kansas continues to battle the best as it travels to No.24 Wake Forest on Friday, Jan. 31 at 5 p.m. CT.
