UMKC Gets Back in Action, Hosts Bradley Saturday Afternoon
2/27/2015 7:37:00 PM | Women's Tennis
THIS WEEK
Kansas City (3-5) women's tennis gets back in action after a week off on Saturday afternoon when Bradley comes to town for a 2:30 p.m. dual at the Kansas City Raquet Club. The match was originally 1 pm, but was switched for facility reasons.
THE OPPONENT
Bradley enters the weekend with a 6-3 overall record, but will face Omaha on Friday afternoon before coming to Kansas City. They are led by Ariel Dechter, who has a team-best 19 wins, and has a 7-2 dual mark out of the No. 2 position. The 'Roos are 1-1 all-time against the Braves, winning the last meeting in 2011 by a 6-1 score. This will be the first time Bradley has played in Kansas City.
Who is Competing
All eight eligible players are available for the dual: Dimitra Stavrianakou, Maddie Schulte, Mariam Kurasbediani, Raquel Argenal, Amelie Amsallem, Marina Albert, Allie Schulte, and Linda Ammar Mouhoub.
Last Time Out
The 'Roos fell by a 4-0 margin at Kansas State on Feb. 14. The 'Roos (3-5) dropped 6-0 decisions at both No. 1 and No. 2 in doubles play as the Wildcats (4-5) won the point. They continued the momentum in singles action, taking straight set wins at the one, two and three spots to clinch the match.
THE WAC
The WAC will have a regular season champion crowned this year, as well as a conference tournament champion. The teams will be seeded in the league tournament based on the conference standings. The WAC Tournament will be played April 24-26 in Kansas City, hosted by the 'Roos.
HEAD COACH KENDELL HALE
Kendell Hale is in his eighth season as the head coach of the UMKC men's and women's tennis program. Overall, the 2014-15 season is Hale's 21st as a collegiate head coach, where he has compiled a 386-306 overall combined men's and women's record. On the women's side, he has a record of 63-97 at UMKC, while boasting an 88-75 mark with the men.
Hale has orchestrated an amazing turnaround with the men's and women's tennis programs since joining the department in 2008. He has guided both the men's and women's squads to numerous school-record win totals and has produced four conference regular season titles, four conference tournament crowns and four NCAA Tournament appearances. He was also selected as the 2010 USPTA National Coach of the Year for his turnaround effort, as well as 2009 USPTA Missouri Valley College Coach of the Year, the 2011 Summit League Men's Coach of the Year, and 2013 Summit League Women's Coach of the Year.
In seven seasons at the helm, Hale has coached 25 all-league honorees on the men's side and 14 all-league selections on the women's side. He's also coached three Conference Players of the Year and three League Newcomers of the Year.
He has also coached the five winningest players in school history on the women's side, and four of the five top career win leaders on the men's side.
Players Mentioned
