April 21, 2006
Columbia, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's team will travel to the state of Texas to face No. 19 Texas on Saturday and No. 36 Texas A&M on Sunday. The two matches will mark the end of the Tigers' regular season.
The Tigers will face Texas on Saturday at 2 p.m., and then travel to College Station to play Texas A&M on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Missouri is 10-9 overall and 1-8 in the Big 12 Conference after winning three matches last weekend. Last Friday, the Tigers defeated Iowa State, 4-3, to earn their first Big 12 win. Sunday, they finished the home schedule with wins over Memphis and Saint Louis.
The Tigers will look to continue their winning streak and pull off an upset or two to gain momentum going into the Big 12 Championships, which begin next Thursday in Waco, Texas. The brackets for the tournament will be decided after Sunday's conference matches.
Tiger Notes Missouri Extends Winning Streak to Three Matches The Tigers have won three matches in a row, marking their longest winning streak of the 2006 season. The streak started last Friday, as Missouri defeated Iowa State, 4-3, in Ames. After Friday's match, the Tigers returned to Columbia to finish the home schedule with matches against Memphis and Saint Louis. The Tigers defeated Memphis, 6-1, in the first match of the day, and Saint Louis, 7-0, in the last match of the season at the Green Tennis Center.
Many Tigers Contributing to Team's Success At No. 1 singles, Tiger junior Yelena Olshanskaya has won her last two matches in straight sets. Olshanskaya has won three of her last six singles matches. Sophomore Lubica Nadasska won two matches last Sunday. She had one win at No. 1 singles and one at No. 2. Lathrop & Gage Varsity M Student Athlete of the Week, Erika Josbena, has won her last three singles matches, all in straight sets. Josbena earned victories at No. 3 against Iowa State and Saint Louis, and stepped into the No. 2 spot to earn a win in the Memphis match. Tiger sophomore Charlotte Bellis earned two straight-set victories on Sunday at No. 6 singles. In doubles action, the duo of Olshanskaya and Svetlic have won their last two matches at No. 1, and the team of Bellis and Nadasska also are also 2-0 in their last two. Combine those efforts with Chrissy Svetlic's six-match winning streak and Amanda Pratzel's 15-4 season record and it is easy to see why the Tigers are playing well.
Chrissy Svetlic Enjoys Six-Match Winning Streak Tiger sophomore Chrissy Svetlic has won her last six matches, dating back to April 7 when she won at No. 6 against Wichita State. During her winning streak, she has won matches at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 singles. In the three conference matches during the streak, she won her matches at No. 6 singles. Her current streak ties her with teammate Amanda Pratzel for the Tigers' longest streak this season.
Pratzel Tied for Second in Singles Winning Percentage Missouri junior Amanda Pratzel is currently 15-4 on the season, playing in the No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 singles spots. The 15-4 record gives her a .789 winning percentage which ties her with current Missouri assistant coach Urska Juric for second all-time in the category of winning percentage for a season. Juric finished the 2002-03 season with a record of 30-8 while playing at No. 1 singles.
Tigers Honor Seniors Hana Kraftova and Kelly Crull After the doubles matches of the Tigers' match against Memphis last Sunday, Tiger Head Coach Blake Starkey held a small ceremony to honor seniors Hana Kraftova and Kelly Crull. Neither player was playing in the day's matches, however. Kraftova has been out for over a month with a back injury, and Crull is being used as a reserve for the Tigers this season.
Tiger Tennis Held First Youth Clinic Tuesday Tuesday, about 28 children attended the Tiger women's tennis youth clinic at the Green Tennis Center. The free clinic featured a brief exhibition by Tigers' Yelena Olshanskaya and Amanda Pratzel. After Olshanskaya and Pratzel showcased their skills, the children were divided up and sent to one of the four courts where Tiger players instructed them on forehands, backhands, and overhead slams. Photos of the clinic can be found on the official Web site, www.mutigers.com, under the team information section.
Two Tigers Selected to Big 12 10th Anniversary Team The Missouri doubles team of Katka Sevcikova and Urska Juric were selected to the Big 12 Conference women's 10th Anniversary Team Wednesday. The duo made the All Big 12 first team in 2002, 2003 and 2004. In the 2001-02 season, they went 37-8, to give them a .822 winning percentage. The percentage made the duo the most successful doubles team in Missouri women's tennis history. Sevcikova and Juric also won both the 2001 and 2002 ITA Central Region Indoor Doubles Championship. In 2003, they qualified for the NCAA Doubles Tournament. A photo gallery of both men's and women's 10th Anniversary Team members can be found on the official Big 12 Web site, www.big12sports.com.
Tiger Opponents
Texas The 19th-ranked Longhorns are 13-10 overall and 7-2 in the Big 12. They are tied for second with No. 36 Texas A&M. In their last match, the Longhorns lost to No. 5 Baylor, 4-3. The Longhorns are led by No. 70 Mia Marovic, who is 4-1 in five Big 12 matches at No. 1 singles. No. 79 Petra Dizdar plays No. 2 singles for the Longhorns.
Texas A&M The 36th-ranked Aggies enter the weekend at 12-10 overall and 7-2 in the Big 12. Saturday, they will host No. 63 Kansas, before taking on the Tigers Sunday at 1 p.m. The Aggies are led by No. 54 Anna Lubinsky, who is 5-2 in seven Big 12 matches at No. 1 singles. The Aggies also have two ranked doubles teams. The 28th-ranked duo of Tiffany Clifford and Sarah Foster are 6-2 in Big 12 matches at the No. 1 spot. At No. 2 doubles, the 40th-ranked duo of Nicki Mechem and Anna Lubinsky lead the Big 12 with a 7-2 conference record.
Up Next For The Tigers After Sunday's match against Texas A&M the Tigers will learn where they are seeded in the Big 12 Women's Tennis Championships, which begin next Thursday in Waco, Texas.