Feb. 16, 2007
Columbia, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's tennis team kicks off its seven-match home stand this weekend against Murray State and No. 29 Texas A&M. The Tigers are 1-2 on the season after losing to then-No. 63 Nebraska last Sunday.
Saturday's match begins at noon and Sunday's first serve is set for 11 a.m. Both matches will be held on the Green Tennis Center's indoor courts. Admission is free and fans are encouraged to attend.
Last Time Out
The Tigers fell, 6-1, to then-No. 63 Nebraska in Lincoln to open up the Big 12 season. As the score suggests, there were not many highlights from this match, except at No. 5 singles, where Kaitlin Dunham earned yet another victory for the Tigers.
Dunham off to a good start
Mizzou freshman Kaitlin Dunham (Kansas City, Mo.) is off to a 3-0 start in singles play. She defeated Nebraska's Marianne Cicmanec in straight sets at the No. 5 spot last Sunday. Including fall action, Dunham is now 7-3 in her first season with the Tigers.
Let's Go Racing
The Tigers' face off against the Murray State Racers at noon on Saturday. Mizzou will try to improve on a 1-2 record and try to earn their first home victory of the season, as they lost to Arkansas two weeks ago in their only other home match.
About The Racers
Murray State is picked to finish second in the Ohio Valley Conference this season, behind 2006 OVC Champion Samford. The Racers are currently 1-2 on the young season after defeating Memphis, 6-1, on Feb. 2nd.. Top singles player Anna Lask earned her second victory of the season, which leads the team. Lask was voted the top player in the OVC in the preseason poll. Her twin sister, Rachel, was voted the No. 3 player in the conference and is 1-2 on the spring at the No. 2 spot. The Lask twins are 2-1 at the No. 1 doubles position.
Series
The Tigers are 1-1 in two matches against Murray State. Mizzou won their last match in 2005, 7-0.
Aggies invade the Show-Me State
The 29th-ranked Texas A&M women's tennis squad visits the Green Tennis Center Sunday afternoon in their second Big 12 contest of the season, as they face Iowa State Friday in Iowa. Going into Friday's match, the Aggies are 6-1 overall, after a 5-2 win over No. 52 LSU last Sunday (Feb. 11).
Wagner To Face Former Team
Mizzou sophomore Raquel Wagner played her freshman year with A&M before transferring to her home state to play for the Tigers this season. She saw most of her action in the fall of 2005, earning seven singles victories. She was 1-2 in doubles play in the spring of 2006.
Texas A&M's Double Trouble
Two of A&M's doubles teams are ranked in the ITA Top-50, creating a challenge for Mizzou's doubles teams Sunday. The 50th-ranked duo of Tiffany Clifford and Sarah Foster plays in the No. 1 spot for A&M. The team is 5-2 on the spring. A higher ranked doubles team plays at A&M's No. 2 spot, the 25th-ranked duo of Anna Lubinski and Nicki Mechem. That team currently sits at 4-1 on the spring and 10-3 overall. Going into Friday's match at Iowa State, Mechem sits at 99 doubles wins, one behind the Aggies all-time record of 100.
Any Singles in the House?
Lubinski, the Aggies' No. 1 singles player, is ranked 48th in the nation coming into the weekend. The Richardson, Texas, native is 3-2 on the spring. A&M's top freshman, Elze Potgieter, plays in the No. 2 spot. She is 5-0 at No. 2, and 1-0 at No.'s 1 and 3. The South Africa native is ranked 50th.
Tiger Notes
Show-Me Tennis
The Tigers will play at least 12 more matches in the state of Missouri, as they opened in St. Louis and will participate in the 11th Big 12 Championships, hosted by the University of Kansas in Kansas City, Mo., in April. After this weekend, the Tigers host 9 more home matches.
Starkey Over the Century Mark
Early last season Head Coach Blake Starkey recorded his 100th win as Mizzou Head Coach. Starkey currently has 108 wins, which is by far the most in MU tennis history. Jim LaRue, who coached the Tigers from 1988-1995, is second on the list with 51 wins.
Josbena Moving Up Career Wins List
Senior Erika Josbena currently has 45 singles wins, which is good enough for 16th on Mizzou's All-Time singles leader board. Her next win will move her into 14th place. Recent Tigers on the list include Hana Kraftova with 50 wins (12th place) and Yelena Olshanskaya with 52 (10th place).
Olshanskaya to Miss Season
Senior Yelena Olshanskaya will sit out her senior season due to off-season knee surgery. She was the Tigers' No. 1 singles player for most of last season, going 5-8 at that spot for the Tigers. As previously mentioned, she will finish her career with 52 singles wins, currently good for 10th on the all-time list.
Next Weekend
The Tigers will host Drake on Friday (Feb. 23) and Montana on Sunday (Feb. 25). Friday, Mizzou welcomes back former standout player and former assistant coach Urska Juric, currently the head coach at Drake. That match will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday's match against the Grizzlies begins at 9 a.m.