University of Houston Athletics
Cougars Host Missouri, Utah at Houston Country Club
2/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
| No. 56 HOUSTON COUGARS vs. MISSOURI TIGERS | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time | Friday, Feb. 20 • 3 pm CT |
| Location | Houston Country Club • Houston, Texas |
| Live Scoring | UHCougars.com |
| Series History | • Missouri leads, 1-0-1 |
| Social Media |   |
| No. 56 HOUSTON COUGARS vs. No. 48 UTAH UTES | |
|---|---|
| Date/Time | Sunday, Feb. 22 • 11 am CT |
| Location | Houston Country Club • Houston, Texas |
| Live Scoring | UHCougars.com |
| Series History | • Utah leads, 7-5 |
| Social Media | |
HOUSTON - The University of Houston tennis team is back in the Lone Star State and ready for action as two strong opponents visit town this week. The Cougars will host Missouri on Friday at 3 pm and No. 48 Utah on Sunday at 11 am at the Houston Country Club.
Live scoring of both matches is available at UHCougars.com/TennisScores .
Houston (4-4) is currently listed No. 56 in the ITA Division I national rankings. The Cougars continue to feature two nationally-ranked singles competitors; sophomore Despoina Vogasari is ranked No. 24 in the nation, and senior Elena Kordolaimi checks in at No. 90.
The Cougars are the only American Athletic Conference squad to boast two singles players in the national top-125.
Both of Houston's ranked players are undefeated in the spring season. Vogasari is 7-0 in dual matches, with an 18-3 overall record. She owns six wins over ranked opponents, and she has not lost since Nov. 7, a close 6-4, 6-4 defeat to current national No. 1 Maegan Manasse of Cal.
Kordolaimi has won 10 straight singles matches, matching a career high. The senior is 15-4 this season and has bested four ranked opponents.
The Cougars fell to Kansas in their last outing, 4-3, on Feb. 14. Kordolaimi, Vogasari and Mina Markovic won singles points against the Jayhawks, while the Greek duo combined for a doubles win.
A win over Utah would give Houston their third victory of the season over a Pac-12 opponent and their fourth against a ranked team. Patrick Sullivan's club has already notched victories over No. 70 North Texas, No. 56 Washington State and No. 42 Washington.
 | SCOUTING MISSOURI |
The Tigers (7-3) fell to Nebraska, 4-3, on Feb. 15 in their last competition. Prior to the loss, Missouri had won four straight matches without dropping a point.
Junior Kelli Hine is Missouri's lone regionally-ranked player, as she currently occupies the No. 9 spot in the Central Region. Hine made the third round of the ITA Central Region Championships in October, and she sports a 12-7 overall record.
Sophomore Cassidy Spearman is 8-1 in the spring and 12-2 overall in singles play. She is also 8-1 in spring doubles matches with a variety of partners.
Houston and Missouri have faced off twice before. The two teams tied, 3-3, on March 26, 1980 in the only draw in Cougar Tennis history. The programs did not meet again until March 21, 2010, a 7-0 Missouri victory.
| SCOUTING UTAH |
The Utes are 1-4 in dual matches, though all four of their losses have come to teams ranked in the national top-50. Utah last played on Feb. 14, a 4-0 sweep at the hands of No. 26 Texas Tech.
Senior Tereza Bekerova is Utah's top-ranked player, at No. 107 nationally. She is 8-6 overall this season and ranked No. 2 in the Mountain Region after making a run to the Regional Championship match in October.
Bekerova and teammate Margot Pletcher are ranked 28th in the nation as a tandem, and they are 2-2 when teaming together this year. Bekerova and senior Lucia Kovarcikova made the semifinals of the Mountain Regional Championships while teaming together in the fall, as did the duo of Sarah Richter and Luisa Rosa.
Utah holds a 7-5 record over the Cougars in 12 meetings spanning back to 1980. The Utes won a 7-0 decision last season on March 12, 2014 in Salt Lake City, snapping Houston's two-match series winning streak.
| UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS |
Houston will play two road matches on Saturday, Feb. 28. The Cougars will face Brown University at 9 am CT in Providence, R.I. Later, at 5 pm CT, Sullivan's crew will play American opponent UConn in Storrs, Conn.
| FOLLOW THE COUGARS |
Fans can keep up with the latest in University of Houston Cougar athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook.com/HoustonAthletics), Twitter (@UHCougarSports), Instagram (houstoncougars) and YouTube.com (Youtube.com/UHAthletics). In addition, the women's tennis team has established its own official Facebook (Facebook.com/HoustonCougarTennis) and Twitter pages (@UHCougarTennis).
