No. 16 Jayhawks hit the road for a pair of matches

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The No. 16-ranked Kansas women’s tennis team is back in action this week as it travels to face Iowa State at 3 p.m., Friday and West Virginia at 11 a.m., CT Sunday.
 
After having last weekend off, KU is at 11-4 overall and 3-1 against Big 12 Conference opponents.
 
The Jayhawks are led by senior Despoina Vogasari, who is currently the No. 66-ranked player in the nation. She holds an overall record of 21-9, is 10-4 in dual play and has won her last seven matches. Junior and No. 116 Nina Khmelnitckaia also sits at 10-4 in duals with her overall mark being 19-8. She has clinched three matches for Kansas this season and is on an eight-match win streak.
 
In doubles, No. 83 Khmelnitckaia and sophomore Tatiana Nikolaeva recently teamed up to get their first win of the spring season after defeating Texas Tech’s No. 8-ranked team of Sarah Dvorak and Sabrina Federici.
 
“The excitement is to get back on the court and compete after a weekend off, see where we’re at and the opportunity to play as a team again,” said head coach Todd Chapman. “We’ll be able to see the things we’re doing well, the things we need to work on and prepare for the rest of the season.” 
 
Iowa State (9-10, 0-3 Big 12) trails the Jayhawks, 43-3, in the overall series. The Cyclones recently ended their six-match losing streak with a 4-3 win over Drake. Samantha Budai and Maty Cancini play doubles at the top spot and have gone 12-7 in duals. Annabella Bonadonna and Margarita Timakova compete at the No. 2 spot and are 11-6 when playing a dual match. On court three, Karen Alvarez and Regina Espindola have teamed up for a dual-play record of 9-5.
 
“In our conference there’s not an easy out,” said Chapman. “We’re prepared for tough matches with both teams. The big thing is the girls are excited to play again.”
 
West Virginia’s (7-7, 1-2 Big 12) only conference win so far this season came against the Cyclones, resulting in a 4-1 victory in Morgantown. WVU has won three-consecutive matches and will face No. 35 Kansas State Friday before its match with Kansas. The Jayhawks are undefeated against the Mountaineers with an all-time record of 6-0.
 
Lyn Yuen Choo is the No. 3 player for West Virginia and has compiled an 8-3 dual mark this season. She is also on a three-match win streak, having gone 5-2 of her last 10 with three going unfinished. Paired up with Paula Goetz at the No. 2 spot in doubles, the duo also sits at 8-3 in dual play.
 
Live scoring will be available for both matches. Visit the KU tennis schedule page on KUAthletics.com for more information.  

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