UMKC Heads To Fort Wayne Cluster With Conference Title Hopes
3/28/2012 5:39:00 PM | Women's Tennis
THIS WEEK
The UMKC women's tennis team (9-7, 4-0 SL) heads to Fort Wayne, Ind. for the final Summit League Cluster from Thursday-Sunday. UMKC will take on Oakland, Oral Roberts, South Dakota State, and defending league champion IPFW. The 'Roos are off to the best start ever in conference play, and come in on a five-match win streak. UMKC can clinch the regular season title with a 4-0 record this weekend.
THE OPPONENTS
» UMKC vs. Oakland » Mar. 29, 2012 » 7 a.m. (CT)
Oakland comes into the weekend with a 1-9 overall record, and will be playing its first conference action of the year vs. the 'Roos. No. 3-5 player Brittany Baxter leads the Grizzlies in wins with three on the season. UMKC is 7-6 against Oakland, with wins in the last three meetings. The last loss came in April of 2008.
» UMKC vs. Oral Roberts » Mar. 30, 2012 » 8 a.m. (CT)
Oral Roberts is 3-5 on the year, and will be playing its first Summit matches this weekend. It is led by All-Summit League performers Iryna Khatsko and Lina Semenova. UMKC is 2-24 all-time against the Golden Eagles, snapping a 24-match losing streak against them last year with a 5-2 win on March 31.
» UMKC vs. South Dakota State » Mar. 30, 2012 » 1 p.m. (CT)
South Dakota State is 4-6 on the season, and are also playing their opening match in league play this weekend. No. 2 player Jenny Blackburn is 6-4 overall, while Megan McDougall in the No. 4 spot boasts a 7-3 record. UMKC is 4-1 against the Jackrabbits, winning the last four meetings by shutout margins. The only loss came back in 2007.
» UMKC vs. IPFW » Mar. 31, 2012 » 8 a.m. (CT)
IPFW is 11-8 overall and 4-0 in Summit League play. The Mastodons have won the last three regular season titles undefeated, and have won 28 straight regular season duals. They are paced by all-conference performers Alex Forsyth and Caterina Kiefer, with No. 1 player Anita Henestrosa leading the team with an 11-7 record. UMKC is 0-5 all-time vs IPFW.
LOAD 'EM UP
UMKC's current roster boasts the top four all-time winners in school history in Laura Bouet, Jillian Yakominich, Eva Dalvai, and Suzan Lisenby. The group includes three juniors and a senior (Yakominich).
The roster also has six of the top nine doubles players in school history, with the four mentioned players, along with senior Jessica Ball and sophomore Gabby Pintos.
HEAD COACH KENDELL HALE
Kendell Hale is in his fifth season as the head coach of the UMKC women's tennis program. Overall, the 2011-12 season is Hale's 18th as a collegiate head coach, and compiled a 317-214 overall combined record coming into 2012. He has a current 39-58 mark with the women. Hale has coached seven all-league selections and was selected at the 2009 USPTA Missouri Valley College Coach of the Year.
In 2011, Hale guided the 'Roos to a school record 12 victories and a 6-2 mark in Summit League play. UMKC finished third in the regular season standings to qualify for the league tournament for the second straight year, and made it to the championship match for the first time in school history.
Before joining the UMKC coaching staff, Hale spent 11 years as the head coach at Rockhurst University, where he led the Hawks to nine NCAA Tournament appearances.
Players Mentioned
