No. 15 Jayhawks open Big 12 play; host No. 38 Baylor
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The No. 15-ranked Kansas women’s tennis team begins Big 12 Conference play by hosting No. 38 Baylor at the Jayhawk Tennis Center at 5 p.m., Monday.
In the first half of their season, the Jayhawks tallied an 8-3 record, including four wins over ranked opponents. KU’s only three losses so far this spring have come against ranked teams on the road.
Kansas rides a four-match win streak entering the inner-league slate. Contributing to that streak are three 6-1 victories over Purdue, Gonzaga and No. 26 Tulsa. The Jayhawks are also undefeated at home this season.
“Our philosophy has always been to play a tough nonconference schedule to have the team as prepared as possible for Big 12 play,” said head coach Todd Chapman. “The Big 12 field is as deep as it has ever been so every week we will be challenged.”
The Jayhawks are led by No. 3-ranked Anastasia Rychagova, who holds an impressive 18-2 overall singles record, including a perfect 8-0 in dual play at the No. 1 position. Along with Rychagova, Despoina Vogasari is ranked as the No. 119 singles player with a 7-4 dual match record and 18-9 overall. KU has three players who have won four-consecutive matches in Vogasari, Nina Khmelnitckaia and Tatiana Nikolaeva.
In doubles, Khmelnitckaia and Rychagova, the No. 25-ranked duo, have their own four-match win streak as well as a 6-2 dual mark and a 13-4 overall record. Janet Koch and Nikolava have won two in-a-row and own a 3-2 record since pairing up this spring.
“Baylor is historically the best team year in year out in the Big 12,” said Chapman. “We know we have a tough task in front of us, but I believe we are prepared and I believe the team is excited about starting Big 12 play.”
The Bears lead the overall series between the two programs, 22-6. Last year, Baylor downed KU, 4-0, in its last match of the regular season. Baylor sits at 8-6 overall this season and has won five-straight matches.
The Bears’ sophomore Camilla Abbate owns a 10-3 dual record between the two, three and four positions. She has won six of her last seven matches with the seventh going unfinished due to the match being clinched. Senior Theresa Van Zyl and freshman Kris Sorokolet split time between the No. 1 and 2 courts. Van Zyl’s dual record is at 2-4 and 10-7 overall, while Sorokolet has an even 4-4 in dual play and 5-9 on the season.
The match is free to the public and pizza will be served between singles and doubles.
Live scoring and video are both available for the match. Visit the KU tennis schedule page on KUAthletics.com for more information.
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