University of Houston Athletics
Houston Readies for ITA Weekend Kickoff
1/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
| No. 35 HOUSTON COUGARS vs. No. 41 TCU HORNED FROGS | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time | Saturday, Jan. 24 • 3 pm CT |
| Location | George P. Mitchell Tennis Center • College Station, Texas |
| Live Scoring | 12thMan.com |
| Series History | • TCU leads, 29-7 |
| Social Media |   |
| No. 35 HOUSTON COUGARS vs. No. 11 TEXAS A&M AGGIES or No. 70 NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time | Sunday, Jan. 25 • 12 pm CT (championship) 3 pm CT (consolation) |
| Location | George P. Mitchell Tennis Center • College Station, Texas |
| Live Scoring | 12thMan.com |
| Series History | • Texas A&M leads Houston, 25-9 • Houston leads North Texas, 9-4 |
| Social Media | |
HOUSTON - The No. 35 University of Houston tennis team embarks on their first road trip of the 2015 season this weekend, when they participate in the ITA Weekend Kickoff in College Station, Texas. Houston will face No. 41 TCU on Saturday at 3 pm CT and will finish the tournament on Sunday against either No. 11 Texas A&M or No. 70 North Texas.
Saturday's winning teams will meet on Sunday at noon, and the losers will square off at 3 pm. Live scoring of the tournament is available throughout the event.
Note: Saturday's match was originally scheduled to begin at 9 am, but was pushed back due to the rainy forecast in College Station. Sunday's schedule has also been changed from the original start times of 10 am (consolation) and 1 pm (championship).
The winner of the four-team pod will advance to the ITA Division I National Women's Team Indoor Championships, to be hosted by the University of Virginia at Boar's Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va., in February.
Houston (1-1) split a pair of matches last week to open their spring campaign. The Cougars dropped UTSA on Jan. 17, 6-1, and fell to No. 61 BYU, 4-3, on Jan. 19.
Head Coach Patrick Sullivan's two nationally-ranked veterans led the team on opening weekend, as No. 21 Despoina Vogasari and No. 52 Elena Kordolaimi each went 2-0 in singles play against UTSA and BYU. Kordolaimi also had a perfect doubles week, teaming with Rocio Martin to win each of her pairs matches.
Vogasari is the top-ranked player in the Texas region, while Kordolaimi is ranked No. 7. Freshman Angela Lorenzo is ranked nationally, at No. 106.
TCU opened the season with a 5-2 victory over Missouri on Jan. 18. The Horned Frogs feature three regionally-ranked singles players: Alexis Pereira at No. 10, Stefanie Tan at No. 11, and Simona Parajova at No. 15. Also, the doubles tandem of Tan and Seda Arantekin is ranked No. 2 in the Texas region, while Pereira and Paulina Dubavets share the No. 9 pairs ranking.
The Horned Frogs hold a 29-7 lead over Houston in 36 prior meetings, though the teams have not played since March 23, 2013. TCU won that match, 4-0, at the John E. Hoff Courts.
The Cougars won three of five singles matches from TCU during the fall season. Vogasari defeated both Arantekin and Pereira at the USTA/ITA Texas Regional Championships, and Kordolaimi bested Pereira at the Jason's Deli Collegiate Invitational.
Texas A&M has not played a dual match yet this season. The Aggies hold a 25-9 edge over Houston in their all-time series, though the teams have not met since a 7-0 Texas A&M win on Feb. 3, 2008.
The Aggies have two nationally-ranked singles competitors. Saska Gavrilovska holds the No. 29 ranking, and Rachel Pierson is listed No. 56. Pierson is also ranked twice in the national doubles listings; her pairing with Eva Paalma is ranked No. 21, and her tandem with Ines Deheza is ranked No. 30.
Houston went 2-1 against Texas A&M in fall singles matches. Kordolaimi defeated Pierson and Vogasari swept Anna Mamalat at the Texas Regionals.
North Texas lost their lone match of the spring so far, a 7-0 sweep at the hands of No. 24 Oklahoma on Jan. 20. The Mean Green feature one nationally-ranked player, No. 113 Kamilla Galieva.
The Cougars are 9-4 all-time against North Texas. Houston swept the Mean Green, 5-0, on Feb. 8, 2014 at the John E. Hoff Courts. Vogasari, Kordolaimi, Tina Rupert and Charlotte Phillips all won singles matches in the victory.
 | UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS |
Sullivan's squad takes on New Mexico on Thursday, Jan. 29 in Albuquerque, N.M. First serve is scheduled for 4 pm CT.
| FOLLOW THE COUGARS! |
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