Kansas Picks Up Second-Straight Win with 6-1 Victory Over Pacific

Box Score

Las Vegas, Nev. – Kansas women’s tennis collected its second-consecutive win by defeating Pacific, 6-1, Sunday afternoon at the Fertitta Tennis Complex on the campus of UNLV. The Jayhawks streaked to a 4-0 lead, obtaining the victory, and then finished off the Tigers by winning two of the three remaining singles courts.
 
“We knew that energy was going to be the key today, energy and toughness,” said Kansas head coach Todd Chapman. “With three matches in three days we had soreness, but we couldn’t turn that into an excuse. That was our focus and I feel like the girls did a great job responding to that and playing tough tennis. 

The Jayhawks were dominant in doubles play for the second-straight match. Freshmen Madison Harrison and Smith Hinton made quick work of Pacific’s Francis Dean and Regina Suarez blanking the Tigers 6-0 on court two. KU’s pair on court one, junior Maria Jose Cardona and Maria Belen Luduena, sealed the doubles point win for the Jayhawks as they defeated Pacific’s Hana Ritterova and Iveta Masarova by the score of 6-2.
 
Freshmen Summer Collins and Alexis Czapinski were in a 3-3 battle on court three with Pacific’s Antonella Santeusanio and Cristina Saenz de Buruaga Ruiz, but Kansas took the doubles point and play was suspended.
 
Harrison and Hinton both carried their strong play in doubles over to their singles courts. Harrison took on Dean from Pacific, racing out to a 6-2 in the first set, before closing out the point with a 6-3 win. Hinton was right behind Harrison, winning on court four 6-2, 6-0 over Christiana Ferrari of Pacific.
 
Fellow freshman Rachel McNeely finished off the Tigers as she defeated Pacific’s Gergana Boncheva in convincing fashion, 6-2, 6-0.
 
Despite already owning the victory over the Tigers, the two teams decided to complete the singles matches and the Jayhawks took two out of the three remaining courts. Luduena raced out to a 6-2 win in her first set against Pacific’s Masarova. Masarova took an early 4-1 lead over Luduena in the second set, but the Jayhawk senior came back to win five-straight games on her way to a 6-4 second-set victory on court two.
 
Cardona struggled in the first set on court one going up against Pacific’s Ritterova. Ritterova took the first set 6-3, but Cardona battled back in the second set, going up 7-5. The two settled the match on a super set tie-breaker, with Cardona winning in a decisive 10-1 effort.
 
KU’s lone loss of the afternoon came on court five, with Collins suffering a 7-5. 6-1 loss to Saenz de Buruaga Ruiz of Pacific.

After winning two out of three matches over the weekend in Las Vegas, Chapman is pleased with the progress his young team is making, most specifically the freshmen.

“From our first match two weeks ago to match five there’s been a huge difference,” said Chapman. “The freshmen are really stepping up. Smith Hinton and Madison Harrison had a fantastic weekend, both going 5-1. Not just that they won, but how they won was a huge key. It’s fun to watch; you know they’ll come around because they’re talented players, but you just don’t know the time frame. Obviously I’m happy that it’s happened sooner than later.”
 
Kansas will return to action on Thursday Feb. 11, when it travels to in-state rival Wichita State. First serve between the Shockers and Jayhawks will be at 5 p.m., at the Wichita Country Club Indoor Courts.
  
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