April 20, 2007
Columbia, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's tennis team (8-11, 3-7 Big 12) hosts No. 41 Texas in its last match of the regular season Saturday at noon. The match will be the last home match for Tiger seniors Amanda Pratzel and Erika Josbena, as well as junior Charlotte Bellis, who is graduating in May.
Match Information
Missouri vs. (41) Texas
Saturday, April 2 Noon
Green Tennis Center Outdoor Courts
Columbia, Mo.
Live updates available on the women's tennis page at MUTigers.com
Tigers Fall To 31st-ranked Shockers
Josbena and Pratzel won their third doubles match in a row, and Bellis won at No. 6 singles, but that was not enough to get past the talented 31st-ranked Wichita State squad. The Shockers improved to 21-2 with the win, including a 4-0 record against Big 12 teams. WSU's 67th-ranked singles player Madina Rakhim improved to 22-1 on the spring after she defeated Chrissy Svetlic, 6-3, 6-1. This was Svetlic's second match at No. 1, she won her match last weekend (April 14) against Iowa State's Jill Palen.
Last Home Match for Josbena, Pratzel and Bellis
Seniors Josbena and Pratzel and junior Charlotte Bellis will play the last home match of their respective careers Saturday. All three Tigers have been solid contributors to the Mizzou lineup, and will lead the Tigers Saturday and again next week at the Big 12 Championships. Please visit MUTigers.com to read each player's senior feature story. Charlotte's story is posted under the Tiger Senior Feature Stories heading along the sidebar. Erika's and Amanda's respective stories will be posted Saturday and distributed at the match.
Thanks Texas!
It appears the Longhorns brought the Lone Star State's warm temperatures with them to Columbia. According to the National Weather Service, Columbia's forecasted high temperature for Saturday is 79 degrees, which equals the predicted high for Austin.
Battle For Team Lead in Wins
With only one regular season match left, its time to look at the Tigers' singles wins leaders for the season. Svetlic leads the way with 19, including eight in the spring and one at No. 1. Raquel Wagner sits in second with 18, nine in the spring, and five Big 12 wins. In doubles action, Josbena and Pratzel lead the team with 17 victories together. Pratzel has one more with Bellis to give her 18.
Big 12 Championships
After Saturday's match, the Tigers will start preparing for the 11th annual Big 12 Championships, which begin Thursday at the Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City, Mo. MUTigers.com will preview Mizzou's opening match once the bracket is released. For live results of all matches in the Championships, please visit the official results page: http://kuathletics.cstv.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/032707aaq.html
For more information on the Big 12 Championships, including ticket information, please visit the home page of the Championships: http://www.big12sports.com/sports/c-tennis/spec-rel/big12-tennis-championship.html
(41) Texas
The Longhorns take a lot of momentum into Saturday's match after defeating No. 21 Texas A&M, 4-3, in Austin Wednesday. UT freshman Vanja Corovic upset No. 24 Anna Lubinsky at No. 1 to lead the Longhorns in their victory over A&M, who falls to 7-2 in the conference. With the win, Texas takes sole possession of second place in the standings, with an 8-1 record. Texas is 11-8 overall, but they have played many tough non-conference opponents, including then-No. 2 Notre Dame then-No. 4 Stanford and then-No. 4 Florida. UT lost each of those three tough matches, but they have only lost once in the conference, to then-No. 20 Baylor. Texas leads the all-time series against Mizzou, 9-1. MU's lone victory came in 2003, a 4-3 victory in Columbia.
UT's Top Two
Playing in the top spot for Texas this weekend will likely be freshman and 51st ranked Vanja Corovic. Corovic has won seven of her last eight, three of which were over ranked opponents. In the No. 2 spot will likely be freshman Stephanie Davison, who will step onto the court boasting a three-match winning streak. This streak included a win over then No. 50 Bianca Dulgheru of Pepperdine April 8. Junior Courtney Zauft is ranked No. 109 for the Longhorns coming into the match.