April 13, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
First place in the Missouri Valley Conference and a clearer path to the regular-season title is on the line this Saturday when the Illinois State women's tennis team travels to face No. 31 Wichita State at 1 p.m. at the Coleman Complex in Wichita, Kan.
The match up against the Shockers will be the first of two for the `Birds this weekend, as ISU returns to Bloomington, Ill., on Sunday to face Illinois-Chicago at the Evergreen Racquet Club at noon. The non-conference contest versus the Flames is being made up after being originally postponed due to inclement weather on Feb. 17.
The Redbirds (10-6, 5-0 MVC) are playing their best tennis of the season winning six straight, their longest streak to date, and will be looking to knock off a ranked opponent for the second time in as many weeks.
"We're excited for this match against Wichita State," head coach Chris Hoover said. "We know that the winner of this match will probably win the league. Challenges like going up against a top-ranked team can be a lot of fun. Hopefully we compete hard, have fun and give them our best performance."
A victory against the nationally-ranked Shockers would mean the Redbirds would control their own destiny needing to defeat Northern Iowa and Drake at home next weekend to capture an unprecedented fifth-consecutive Valley crown.
To upset Wichita State, the `Birds will continue to rely on juniors Carolyne Parent and Véronique Parke-Bédard, who are ranked first and second on the team in wins with 18 and 16, respectively. The pair is each riding a six-match winning streak in singles, with Parent taking 15 of her last 18, while Parke-Bédard has shined in Valley action with a perfect 5-0 mark playing at the No. 3 spot.
Wichita State has been the talk of the conference this season with an 18-2 overall record, and a 4-0 mark in the MVC. The Shockers reached as high as No. 16, according to the rankings by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) on March 13. The ranking was the highest ever achieved by a Valley school.
Since losing at ISU last season, the Shockers have won 11 straight Valley matches, while also knocking off nine nationally ranked teams this season. Wichita State is led in singles by Madina Rakhim, who is 19-1 and ranked 60th in the nation. The senior has won 18 straight, including a victory over 26th-ranked Catrina Thompson of Notre Dame.
The Flames are back to showing the form that helped them win 10 consecutive Horizon League tournament titles after losing their first five matches. UIC has captured eight of nine and will be looking to earn its ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid.
The Redbirds conclude their regular season next weekend when they take on UNI and Drake at the McCormick Courts in Normal. The match against the Panthers is set for Sat., April 21, while the contest versus the Bulldogs is slated for Mon., April 23.
