Section B·Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, April 3, 1998
Kansas senior Scott Marshall serves in a doubles match against Missouri at the Robinson tennis courts. Kansas won the duel 7-0. Photo by Roger Nomer/KANSAN
Altitude, not attitude obstacle in men's matches vs. Colorado
Tennis teams seek weekend wins
By Erin Thompson Kanson sportswriter
The men's tennis team recovered from being smothered by Tulsa on Wednesday and came back to defeat Missouri 7-0 yesterday at Robinson Center.
"We bounced back," Kansas coach Mark Riley said. "After yesterday, there was no where to but up. That was the worst performance I had ever seen."
Kansas had no problems putting Missouri away and defeated the Tigers for the fourth straight time.
Riley saw the match as an opportunity to play some players who have not seen a lot of action this season.
Micah Zomer, Tulsa freshman, defeated B.J. Bates (6-1, 6-0) in No.5 singles.
"I think it's good to give people who haven't had the opportunities that the top guys have to play in pressure situations," Zomer said. "It's good to do something instead of just practice."
Trent Tucker went to three sets with Rob Silver in the closest match for the Jayhawks before winning 2-6, 3-2, 6-2.
The match included several questionable calls, and the two players argued calls throughout the match. Tucker was down a set, and the second set was tied to two games apiece when a call by Silver gave Tucker the fire he needed to fight back.
"That was actually a turning point — when he cheated me on a call," he said. "I was finished. He
had beaten me emotionally. After that, I was fired up. That was a big motivating factor."
Tucker improved his singles record to 23-9.
Missouri has no scholarships for tennis and probably will cut its program next year, Riley said. Despite this, he said he was always impressed by how hard Missouri played.
Zomer said he thought the Jayhawks played well.
"We came out and took care of business," Zomer said. "We were the favored team, and we respected them, but we played hard and won."
Kansas improved to 3-1 in the Big
12 Conference and 9-9 overall. This is
the first time this season the Jayhawks have had a record above .500.
The Jayhawks will next see action when they travel to Colorado tomorrow.
The altitude in Boulder has proven to be a challenge for the Jayahawks in the past, and this year will be no different. Tucker said.
Riley said with his team's inconsistency and injuries, the match could be tough.
"I hope my good team shows up," Riley said. "They've beaten some good people. We need to come out and do a good job."
n The Kansas men's tennis program will receive a $1,000 scholarship in senior Enrique Abaroa's name because he received the sportsmanship award at the Blue/Gray Tournament March 19-21 in Montgomery, Ala.
Kansas senior Scott Marshall and sophomore Jeff Erin share a laugh during their doubles match against Missouri. Marshall and Erin won the match 8-2. Roger Nomer/KANSAN
Perfect conference record at stake when women play at Robinson
Men's Tennis Results (Kansas 7, Missouri 0)
By Erin Thompson
Kanson sportswriter
Kansan sportswriter
Singles
No. 1 Trent Tucker, (Kansas), def. Rob Silver, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2
No. 2 Louis Uribe, (Kansas), def. Luke Woodward, 2-6, 1-2
No. 3 Ed Dus, (Kansas), def. Mike Leslie, 7, 5-1
No. 4 Bryan Maier, (Kansas), def. Josh Goldin, 6-0, 6-1
No. 5 Micah Zomer, (Kansas), def. B.J. Bates, 6-1, 6-0
No. 6 Scott Marshall, (Kansas), def. Scott Magdizak, 6-1, 6-1
The women's tennis team is looking to stretch a six-match winning streak to eight before the weekend ends.
The No. 15 Jayhawks will play Oklahoma State tomorrow and Oklahoma on Sunday at the Robinson Center tennis courts. It will be the outdoor home opener for the Jayhawks.
The team is 4-0 in the Big 12 Conference, and after this weekend, it will likely be 6-0. Oklahoma State is 2-13 and 0-5 in the Big 12, and Oklahoma is 11-6 overall and 2-4 in conference play.
No. 1 Silver/Woodward, def. Avila/Dus, (Kansas), 8-5
No. 2 Tucker/Powell, (Kansas), def. Bates/Magdizak, 8-5
No. 3 Marshall/Erin, (Kansas) def. Leslie/Goldin, 8-2
The Jayhawks won against then-No. 14 Pepperdine and No. 22 Southern California during spring break. On Wednesday, the Jayhawks defeated Kansas State 8-1 in Manhattan.
March was kind to the Jayhawks, who went 6-1 during the month. Their only loss was to Brigham Young, which is ranked in the top five.
The Jayhawks' only other loss this season came at the hands of Duke, which also is ranked in the top five. Kansas is expected to be in the top 10 when the new rankings are released Tuesday.
Doubles
Kansas coach Roland Thornqvist said the Jayhawks hoped to remain undefeated in conference play through the Texas match on April 19. The Longhorns are ranked ninth.
"We have won half of the singles in all our matches this year, which means that even in our losses, we were in it up to doubles," he said. "That's a very impressive accomplishment. We are playing some of our best tennis of the year and could easily be 18-2 heading into Texas."
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