10th-Seeded Tulsa to Face Seven-Seed Wichita State in The American Second Round

TULSA, Okla. — The American Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Championships are up next for the Tulsa women's tennis team as the No. 10 seed Golden Hurricane received a first-round bye and will take on No. 7 Wichita State in the second round Thursday, April 18, at 3 p.m., on the courts of the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex on the SMU campus in Dallas.

The women's championship began Wednesday, April 17, and continues through the April 21 final. The winner of the women's championship will earn The American's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Tennis Championships.

The Hurricane seeks to become the first 10-seed to win the tournament. No. 45 SMU was granted the one-seed with No. 41 Charlotte earning the second seed, No. 47 Memphis received the three-seed and No. 66 Rice took the fourth seed.

Tulsa will be looking for its 9th conference title and fourth American Athletic Conference crown in its 10th season in the league. The Hurricane currently leads all programs in the conference with a 17-5 record in the American Women's Championship and has the best winning percentage in the tournament of any team (.773).

Each of Tulsa's eight conference titles have been earned under 18-year Head Coach Dean Orford, who's led Tulsa to five Conference-USA crowns and three AAC title finishes. Tulsa has reached the semifinal round of conference tournament action in each of the last 18 years under Orford and last won The American tournament in 2018.

Tulsa and Wichita State continue the longtime rivalry in The American second round in the 47th all-time meeting in a series that dates back to the 1980 season. The Hurricane extended the series lead this season to 24-22 after taking down the then-63rd ranked Shockers in a 4-1 decision on April 8.

The two teams have met in the AAC Championship three times (2018, 2019, 2023) with the Hurricane taking all three contests by two or more points. Last year, Tulsa swept the Shockers 4-0 to advance to the semifinal.

Leading the way in singles play for Wichita State are Xin Tong Wang (11-6) and Theodora Chantava (11-2), who each sport 11 wins in the dual-match season across all positions of play. In doubles, Wang and Natsumi Kurahashi have been lethal for the Shockers with a 14-4 mark in the first and second positions.

Three Tulsa players have reached double-digit wins for the Hurricane this dual-match season. Junior Maria Berlanga Bandera leads with a 13-6 record at the No. 1 position, junior Ana Naranjo Martinez stands at 11-8 in the fourth spot and junior Lily Hutchings holds an 11-9 mark in the No. 3 slot.

Berlanga and Hutchings have formed the Hurricane's winningest and most consistence doubles tandem this year, holding down the No. 1 position with a 12-7 record and a perfect 2-0 mark against nationally ranked duos.

THE AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

First Round \| Wednesday, April 17
Match 1: No. 13 East Carolina (11-7) vs. No. 12 North Texas (8-12)	10 a.m.
Match 2: No. 14 Temple (9-7) vs. No. 11 UAB (12-10)	2 p.m.

Second Round \| Thursday, April 18
Match 3: No. 9 UTSA (14-6) vs. No. 8 Tulane (11-8)	9 a.m.
Match 4: Match 1 winner vs. No. 5 South Florida (11-10)	Noon
Match 5: No. 10 Tulsa (11-11) vs. No. 7 Wichita State (12-9)	3 p.m.
Match 6: Match 2 winner vs. No. 6 Florida Atlantic (12-8)	6 p.m.

Quarterfinals \| Friday, April 19
Match 7: Match 3 winner vs. No. 1 SMU (10-11)	9 a.m.
Match 8: Match 4 winner vs. No. 4 Rice (11-9)	Noon
Match 9: Match 5 winner vs. No. 2 Charlotte (18-7)	3 p.m.
Match 10: Match 6 winner vs. No. 3 Memphis (15-7)	6 p.m.

Semifinals \| Saturday, April 20
Match 11: Match 7 winner vs. Match 8 winner	10 a.m.
Match 12: Match 9 winner vs. Match 10 winner	2 p.m.

Final \| Sunday, April 21 \| ESPN+
Match 13: Semifinal winners	Noon

all times Central

10th-Seeded Tulsa to Face Seven-Seed Wichita State in The American Second Round

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Players Mentioned

Maria Berlanga Bandera

Lily Hutchings

Ana Naranjo Martinez