8B
SPORTS / THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
TENNIS
Team will face Irish with ranked pair
BY KATHLEEN GIER
kgier@kansan.com
The Kansas women's tennis team will face the No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in its first home match of the spring season Friday.
Although the Fighting Irish are led by the 12th-ranked doubles team of sophomore Kristy Frilling and senior Kali Krisk, the Jayhawks have their own ranked doubles team, junior Maria Martinez and sophomore Alessandra Dzuba. The two are currently ranked 44th in the nation.
Rankings are determined by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The ITA's computerized system uses an average points-per-match formula. The top 50 Division I doubles teams are ranked along with the top 100 singles players and the top 75 teams.
Martinez said she didn't know they were ranked until her high school coach sent her a text message.
"We try to play our best, and
whether we get ranked or not comes along with the hard work," Martinez said.
Dzuba said she learned about the ranking from reading an article in The Kansan Friday.
"It was a pleasant surprise, but unexpected." Dzuba said.
Before the ITA
Before the IPA released the rankings, the two had played only three matches together in the Jayhawk Invitational last fall. They went undefeated, winning those matches 8-2, 8-6 and 8-4.
In their first match of the
spring last Saturday against a doubles team from Drake, Martinez and Dzuba won 8-2.
Last season Martinez played with sophomore Erin Wilbert and started the fall season playing doubles with senior Kuniguna Dorn. Head coach Amy Hall-Holt paired Martinez with Dzuba after the first
bles more coming into college." Martinez said.
Martinez said she played a lot more singles than doubles in juniors before she came to Kansas.
"We try to play to our best, and whether we get ranked or not comes along with the hard work."
"I have definitely enjoyed dou
MARIA MARTINEZ Junior tennis player
day of the Jayhawk Invitational.
"We look at chemistry, how well they and the combination of their game style, but a lot of it has to do with communication," Hall-Holt said.
needed in a doubles team, playing the third doubles spot on the team.
Martinez and Dzuba have found this similar rhythm
Dzuba said the two have developed a good communication system.
"The way we play, we really com
plement each other." Dzuba said.
Martinez said she is enjoying the success of doubles, and she has a 7-3 record. She is 6-3 in singles.
"I am playing well, and it is really exciting when you are playing well," Martinez said. "It's just such a great feeling when you are out on the court knowing that and you have more confidence in yourself."
Hall-Holt said the team had everything to gain in this weekend's match against the Fighting Irish, which is 3-1 after a 2-5 defeat to the No. 17 North Carolina Tar Heels Sunday. The Jayhawks are 1-0.
"If we come out on top, and it could very well happen that way, we will approach it like every event like we always have every time we step onto the court," Hall-Holt said.
Matches are free for students and are played at the Jayhawk Tennis Facility, 5200 Clinton Parkway.
— Edited by Jesse Rangel
Weston White/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Freshman Sara Lazarevic hits a backhand last Friday. Kansas will face Notre Dame this Friday.
NCAA BASKETBALL
Panthers trounce Shockers 59-56
BY LUKE MEREDITH
Associated Press
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Kwadzo Ahelegbe scored 18 points, 15 in the second half, and No. 24 Northern Iowa hung on to beat Wichita State 59-56 on Wednesday night.
Jordan Eglseder added 15 points for the Panthers (20-2, 11-1), who avenged a 60-51 loss at Wichita State on Jan. 19 and took a commanding three-game lead atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
Wichita State (19-5, 8-4) buried consecutive three-pointers to pull within 58-56 with 1:54 left, then got the ball back on a Northern Iowa turnover with 31 seconds left. But Toure' Murry missed a three from the elbow, and Clevin Hannah's desperation heave bounced off the rim.
Murry had 17 points to lead Wichita State, which shot 10 of 17 from the free-throw line.
Wichita State's Garrett Stutz plays for a loose ball with Northern Iowa's Jordan Eglseider during the first half of Wednesday's game. Wichita State won 59-16.
Of course, it didn't hurt that Ahelegbe shook off a terrible first half and carried the Panthers offense down the stretch.
It was a typical Valley slugfest, with baskets and style points in short supply. But that's exactly the kind of play the pesky Panthers excel at.
Ahelegbte drilled a pull-up 15-footer and muscled a tough layup in traffic to put Northern Iowa ahead 44-41 with 8:34 left. Eglseder's three-point play off a steal by Ali Farokhmanesh gave the Panthers a 47-41 lead. Wichita State quickly cut it to one, but Ahelegbe followed a three with yet another mid-range jumper to give Northern Iowa a 53-46 lead with just under 4 minutes left.
Ahelebge was 1 of 9 from the field in the first half but finished 8 of 18, helping save an offense that shot just 38 percent from the field.
Gabe Blair added 12 points for the Shockers, who fell to 5-4 on the road.
The Panthers missed 12 of their first 15 shots and fell behind by as much as 18-10. But after a hot start, Wichita State could only muster four points during the $ \frac{9}{2} $ - minute stretch late in the first half, allowing Northern Iowa to jump ahead 25-22.
Murry and Hannah responded with threes in the final 1:18 to give the Shockers a 28-27 halftime lead — despite that Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa hasn't been flashy — in fact, it needed a late rally to steal a 55-54 win at Missouri State last weekend — but its suffocating defense was once again enough to help the Panthers survive.
The loss at Wichita State is the only hiccup in the Valley so far for the Panthers, who now seem poised to run away with the league title.
outbounded them 10-0 on the offensive glass.
Northern Iowa entered play second in the nation in scoring defense at 55.1 points per game.
NBA
Robinson leads Knicks to victory
NEW YORK — Nate Robinson scored 23 points, Al Harrington and Larry Hughes also put in double figures off the bench, and the New York Knicks beat the Washington Wizards 107-85 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.
David Lee had 22 points and 10 rebounds to help the Knicks avenge a 106-96 loss at Washington on Saturday. New York won for just the second time in
seven games and avoided falling 12 games under .500 for the first time this season.
Harrington, back after a two-game absence with a sore left knee, scored 12 points, and Hughes returned from coach Mike D'Antoni's forgotten list to add 11 in just his third game since the new year.
Brendan Haywood and Nick Young each scored 15 points for the Wizards, who played without starting forward Caron Butler (bruised left knee). Butler was hurt Monday against Boston in the same collision that injured
Celtics All-Star Paul Pierce.
Robinson started the second half for ineffective point guard Chris Duhon, who has struggled with his shot for weeks. Robinson scored six points in a stretch early in the fourth when New York pulled away, including a layup that made it 84-74 with 8:16 remaining.
Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler each scored 15 points for New York. Robinson finished with six rebounds and eight assists.
Associated Press
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