Tulsa Outlasts Wichita State, 4-3

Saturday, February 18

Tulsa, Okla.

1:00 p.m.

Tulsa

Wichita State

Photo by: Campbell Rogerson

Tulsa Outlasts Wichita State, 4-3

2/18/2023 5:33:00 PM | Women's Tennis

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BOX SCORE (PDF) | SEASON RESULTS (PDF)

TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa women's tennis team held off Wichita State's (4-2) comeback bid Saturday to defeat the Shockers, 4-3, in the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.

The win improves the Golden Hurricane's record to 7-3 on the season—the winningest record in the American Athletic Conference.

The Hurricane handily won the doubles point thanks to wins by Maria Berlanga Bandera and Lily Hutchings at the No. 1 position and Amy Leather and Myroslava Zelenchuk in the No. 3 spot. Berlanga and Hutchings scored the first game point and did not look back in their 6-1 victory. Leather and Zelenchuk dropped the first game point and stormed back to a 6-3 decision to secure the doubles point for Tulsa.

Quick two-set wins by Laia Conde Monfort (No. 1) and Berlanga (No. 2) put the Hurricane up 3-0 to start wins play. The rest of the lineup, however, required three full sets, as wins by Wichita State at the No. 5 and 6 positions put the Shockers within striking distance.

With Tulsa up 3-2, sophomore Lily Hutchings pulled through for the Hurricane with a stunning 0-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-2 comeback victory over Wichita State's Lingwei Kong at the No. 3 position. After dropping six straight game points to lose the first set, Hutchings found herself in a 5-2 deficit in the second set. The Preston, England, native clawed her way back to force a 6-6 tiebreaker set, in which she prevailed 10-8 to stay alive in her match.

Hutchings rode the momentum into set three. She scored the first game point and cruised to a 6-3 set victory to win her position, and the dual match, for the Hurricane.

Tulsa will return to action next weekend at the 75^th Annual Blue Gray National Tennis Classic, held in Montgomery, Ala., from Feb, 24-25.

Singles
1. Laia Conde Monfort (TU) def. Jessica Anzo (WSU) 6-2, 6-4
2. Maria Berlanga (TU) def. Natsumi Kurahashi (WSU) 6-4, 7-5
3. Lily Hutchings (TU) def. Lingwei Kong (WSU) 0-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-2
4. Kristina Kudryavtseva (WSU) def. Myroslava Zelenchuk (TU) 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-2
5. Theodora Chantava (WSU) def. Lian Benedejcic (TU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
6. Harriet Hamilton (WSU) def. Amy Leather (TU) 6-3, 2-6, 7-5

Doubles
1. Maria Berlanga/Lily Hutchings (TU) def. Lingwei Kong/Natsumi Kurahashi (WSU) 6-1
2. Laia Conde Monfort/Ana Naranjo Martinez (TU) vs. Jessica Anzo/Kristina Kudryavtseva (WSU) 5-3, unfinished
3. Amy Leather/Myroslava Zelenchuk (TU) def. Theodora Chantava/Harriet Hamilton (WSU) 6-3

Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,2,5,6,3,4)