Tulsa
Wichita State (Quarterfinals)
Tulsa Heads to Orlando for American Athletic Conference Tournament
4/16/2019 10:17:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Match Notes | Bracket
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Tulsa women's tennis team (14-9) begins its hunt for its fourth conference title in five years on Thursday, as it opens American Athletic Conference tournament play at 11 a.m. CT at the USTA National Campus.
The No. 4-seeded Golden Hurricane will play the winner of Wednesday's first round matchup of No. 12 UConn (5-12) and No. 5 Wichita State (13-9), as the team received a bye into the quarterfinals.
The Huskies enter the week with a 5-12 overall mark and a 1-4 record against American Athletic Conference opponents this season. UConn is riding a two-match loss streak heading into the tournament and a 1-5 mark in away matches in 2019.
Wichita State comes into the week with a 13-9 record, fresh off victories over Tulsa (4-3) and Saint Louis (7-0) a weekend ago. The Shockers are led in singles by No. 111 Fatima Bizhukova and boasts a No. 30-ranked doubles tandem of Bizhukova and Marta Bellucco.
For Tulsa, head coach Dean Orford's bunch tallies a 14-9 record in the dual season. Under Orford, the Golden Hurricane has reached the championship match of the AAC tournament in each of its four years since joining the conference.
The Golden Hurricane is led by senior No. 112 Martha Matoula in singles, who paces TU with a 17-2 overall record. She is 4-0 at the No. 1 spot, while boasting a 13-2 mark at the No. 2 position for Tulsa. The Greece native has already earned two ranked victories this season.
Martina Okalova, who enters the week as the highest ranked singles player for TU, sitting at No. 80 in solo play, also boasts a 10-7 record at the No. 1 position for Tulsa this season.
In doubles, Okalova and Vera Ploner remain one of the nation's best doubles tandems, sitting at No. 13 in the country with a 13-4 dual match record. The duo has also earned two wins over ranked opponents in 2019.
Results from all four days of the American Athletic Conference tournament can be kept up with at the conference championship central page here.
For all Tulsa women's tennis news and information, visit TulsaHurricane.com. Be sure to follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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