March 12, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Columbia, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's tennis team (8-5/0-1 Big 12) hosts the Kansas State Wildcats (4-5/0-1 Big 12) and the 55th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks (5-5/1-0 Big 12) this weekend to begin the home conference schedule.
Match Details
Friday
K-State at Mizzou
Green Tennis Center - noon
Sunday
(55) Kansas at Mizzou
Fan Appreciation Day
Green Tennis Center - noon
Leading Off...
Saturday (March 8) Colorado defeated Mizzou, 7-0, in Boulder. The Buffs took each doubles match, and won each singles match in straight sets to sweep the Tigers in the Big 12 opener for both schools.
K-State Preview
Friday's match-up will feature two teams who are trying to earn their first Big 12 win of the season. K-State, who was ranked 67th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings last week, fell to then-No. 46 New Mexico, 5-2, (March 8), and Kansas, 4-3, (March 5). After starting the season 4-0, including a 5-2 win over then-No. 34 Wichita State, the Wildcats have dropped five straight. Four of the five teams K-State lost to in their streak were ranked in the top-70, however, and the other, KU, is now No. 55. Senior Viviana Yrureta leads the Wildcats at No. 1 singles. She is 5-3 on the year, including a win against New Mexico's No. 116 Ola Abou-Zekry. KSU holds a 21-8 lead in the series, but the Tigers have won three of four, including a 5-2 win over the then-No. 63 Wildcats last season in Columbia.
Border Showdown Sunday
The Tigers also beat the Jayhawks last season in Columbia, as they took a 4-3 win over Kansas on April 7th. KU was not ranked at that point, but they are ranked 55th this week, their highest ranking since 2003, when they were ranked as high as 44th. They enter the weekend having won three of their last four matches, including a conference win over Kansas State (March 5). KU will have a chance to earn another conference win before they arrive in Columbia, as they will play Colorado in Boulder on Friday. KU freshman Magdalena Tokarczyk has played No. 1 singles for most of the season, going 2-4 in six matches. She also picked up three victories at No. 2.
Tigers Try to Extend Lead in Border Showdown Series
Going into the weekend, Missouri leads Kansas, 12-10, in the Border Showdown series. Counting Sunday's match, the softball doubleheader and the Big 12 Championships in men's and women's basketball, there are 19.5 points still available. Mizzou is looking to be the first school to win the series two years in a row since it started in 2002-03.
Tiger Notes
Weber Strong at No. 1
Freshman Mallory Weber is 7-4 this season at the No. 1 singles position. Her seven wins more than doubles Mizzou's win total at No. 1 last season (three). She has earned the most No. 1 wins since the 2005 season, when Katka Sevcikova earned 14 victories at the top spot. Her seven wins ties Jessica Ferguson's total of seven her freshman season (2001), the last Mizzou freshman to win seven at No. 1.
Giuggioli Looks For More
Jessica Giuggioli, a junior transfer from the University of Kentucky, has found her spot at Mizzou...the No. 2 singles spot, that is. Going into the weekend, she is 6-2 at No. 2, to go along with a 2-0 record at No. 1. She will look for win number seven at No. 2 Friday against K-State's Antea Huljev, who will be playing her first match at No. 2 this season. She was 4-1 at No. 4, to go along with 1-1 records at Nos. 3 and 5.
Ritchie Continues Doubles Success
Tiger freshman Kaitlyn Ritche has won 18 doubles matches, dating back to fall tournament play. She is only three wins away from cracking the single-season top-15 list. In case you're keeping track at home, her record is 18-5, which means she's winning .783% of her doubles contests. Former Tigers Urska Juric and Sevcikova hold the record for highest winning percentage in a season, when they went 37-8 (.822) in 2001-02.
Svetlic Good at 3....or 4
Tiger senior Chrissy Svetlic has won nine of her last 11 singles matches...to make a 9-3 dual match record. She will play at No. 3 Friday and Sunday, where she is 3-2 this spring. She has also found success at the No. 4 spot, going 4-1 in five matches.
Modesto Keeps Adding
Freshman Maureen Modesto has won seven singles matches this spring, making 19 overall if you include fall tournament action. She is only three wins from entering the single-season singles wins list. She will try for number 20 Friday at No. 5 against Natasha Vieira, who is 0-5 in that spot this spring.
Tigers Continue Seventh Season at GTC
The Green Tennis Center has served as the home of Mizzou tennis since the spring of 2002, when Mizzou opened its doors with a 5-4 home record. The Tigers have continued that home success throughout the six seasons at the GTC, going 52-21 in the dome at 2001 S. Providence Rd.
Coaching Staff: Two Blakes!
As Tiger Head Coach Blake Starkey enters his 11th season at the helm, he brings Assistant Coach Blake Edwards on board to lead Mizzou in 2008. Starkey, who went 106-120 in his first ten seasons, enters his second decade searching for more. With an 8-5 start to this season, the future looks good for the two Blakes.
Tiger Hometowns: The Heartland and Beyond
Speaking of different backgrounds, Mizzou's 2008 players come from both far and near. Starkey has recruited four players from the USTA Missouri Valley Section (Dunham, Ritchie, Svetlic and Weber) while adding one from Indiana (Modesto). Also joining the Tigers in 2008; Ayala, a native of Quito, Ecuador, who played for Alabama, and Giuggioli, a Piombino, Italy, native, who played with Kentucky last season.
UP NEXT: Texas Road Trip
After the first Big 12 home weekend of the season, the Tigers will take a week off before traveling to Texas to play Texas Tech (March 28) and Baylor (March 30). The Bears are currently ranked No. 5 in the ITA rankings. After that road trip, Texas A&M and Texas come to Columbia, April 4th and 5th, respectively, to close out the home schedule.