April 21, 2008
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Columbia, Mo. - The 11th-seeded University of Missouri women's tennis team (10-13/2-9 Big 12) will get another shot at the 6th-seeded Oklahoma State Cowgirls (11-9/5-6 Big 12) Thursday (April 24) in the first round of the Big 12 Championship at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas. The Tigers are coming off an 0-2 final weekend of the regular season. After OSU beat Mizzou on Friday, Mizzou traveled south to Norman and lost to the Sooners, 4-3, to finish the season in 11th place in the Big 12.
2008 Big 12 Championships
Texas A&M's George P. Mitchell Tennis Center will host the Big 12 Championships April 24-27 for the third time in conference history. Baylor has earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament, after finishing the conference season 11-0. The Lady Bears have won four straight regular season Big 12 crowns. Texas, host Texas A&M and Colorado earned the second through fourth seeds, respectively, and a first round bye. The winner of Thursday's match between the Tigers and Cowgirls will move on to play the Aggies. For more information on the championships, including live stats from each match, please visit Big12Sports.com.
Recent History
The Cowgirls beat the Tigers, 5-2, Friday (April 18) in Stillwater, Okla., and they fell to Colorado, 6-1, Sunday (April 20) to finish the season with a 5-6 conference record and a No. 6 seed in the Big 12 tournament. The Cowgirls jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in their match against Mizzou, as they took control of the doubles point, sweeping the Tigers by scores of, 8-1, 8-2 and 8-3, in the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 spots, respectively. After a short break, OSU won at No. 1 singles, as Iryna Tkachenko defeated Mallory Weber, 6-2, 6-2. The Tigers would show they were not going away easily, though, as Kaitlyn Ritchie won at No. 5 and Sofia Ayala won at No. 6 to even the match at 2-2. Mizzou could not continue the comeback, though, as the Cowgirls won at Nos. 2, 3 and 4 singles to beat the Tigers for the 30th time in 34 meetings. Mizzou came close to a win in the No. 3 match, as Chrissy Svetlic fought back to win the second set, 6-3, after losing the first, 6-3. Jo-Anne Karaitiana prevailed in the third set, though, winning 6-3, to take the match. OSU won the Nos. 2 and 4 matches in straight sets.
Common Opponents
When they meet Thursday, it will be the sixth time the Tigers and Cowgirls play each other in the 12-year history of the Big 12 Championships. Oklahoma State has won four of the five matchups, including a 4-0 victory in the 2006 Championships. In fact, Mizzou's 4-3 victory in the first round of the 2005 tournament was the last Tiger win in the event, and the last time they were not shut out. Last season Nebraska blanked the Tigers, 4-0.
Tigers Served 10th match against top-75 team
Assuming Oklahoma State is still in the top-75 when the Intercollegiate Tennis Association releases the rankings Tuesday, Mizzou's match against the Cowgirls Thursday will mark the 10th time this season the Tigers will face a top-75 team. Mizzou is 1-8 in their first nine matches against ranked teams this season, after falling to then-No. 61 OSU Friday. Missouri's lone win against a raked team came at home against then-No. 55 Kansas (March 16).
Ritchie Goes 2-0 in Home State
Tiger freshman Kaitlyn Ritchie (Bartlesville, Okla.) won both of her No. 5 singles matches against her home state's conference schools in her first regular season visit to the Sooner State. Ritchie had little trouble getting past Oklahoma's Christi Baxley, taking a, 6-0, 6-1, win in the first singles match to finish on Saturday. Ritchie has now won three conference matches in a row, after beating Oklahoma State's Maryna Tkachenko, 6-2, 6-2, Friday afternoon. Her latest win brings her win total to 18 on the season, which includes fall tournament matches. She finishes the Big 12 regular season with a 6-5 record, playing in the No. 5 and No. 6 spots.
Ayala Picks Up Another Singles Win
Ayala beat Oklahoma State's Jessica Collins, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 6 singles Friday to pick up her 10th win this spring. She has won five of her last six Big 12 matches in straight sets, as she finished the regular season with a 5-2 mark in the league at No. 6 singles.
Senior Send-Off
The 2008 Big 12 Championships will serve as many Mizzou players' first league tournament, but it will be Svetlic's last. The Mizzou senior joined the Tigers in the spring of 2006 after transferring from Northern Illinois University. She is 42-40 in singles action, three wins short of 15th place on Mizzou's all-time singles wins list. She also has 44 doubles wins, with 45 losses, which puts her in 13th place on Mizzou's career doubles wins leaderboard.
Weber Solid at No. 1
Tiger freshman Mallory Weber has earned all eight of her singles wins at No. 1, a total which 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.
Giuggioli Tries to Get Back on Track
Jessica Giuggioli, a junior transfer from the University of Kentucky, is 13-10 on the spring in singles play, which includes a 2-4 record at No. 1 and a 9-5mark at No. 2. She lost both of her No. 2 singles matches in straight sets last weekend falling to OU's Chelsea Orr Saturday and OSU's Yawna Allen Friday.
Modesto Wins 23rd
Tiger freshman Maureen Modesto won her 23rd match of her freshman season (including fall tournament play) Saturday (April 12) against Iowa State's Chrissy Derouin. She is now tied with Nancy Dickens for 14th on Mizzou's best single season record leaderboard. Modesto's 23 also marks the most wins by a Mizzou player since the 2004-05 season.
Doubles Success Story
Mizzou's No. 3 doubles duo of Giuggioli and Ritchie have won six of their last eight doubles matches, as they helped Mizzou win the doubles point Saturday against Oklahoma. The 8-5 win over Kalashnikova and Antakova was Ritchie's 24th doubles win of the season, including fall tournament play. That mark ties her for 11th on Mizzou's all-time leaderboard for doubles wins in a season. Her 24 marks the most wins by a Mizzou player since Urska Juric and Sevcikova went 25-6 in the 2002-03 season.
Tigers Finish 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 53-24 in the dome at 2001 S. Providence Rd. Mizzou finished with an 8-3 home record, including a big win over then-No. 55 Kansas.
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.
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.