Topeka, Kan.--It was almost a perfect homecoming party for senior Meg Griffin (Topeka, Kan./Topeka West), except that the Maryland women's tennis team fell short, losing to No. 23 Kansas, 5-4, at Wood Valley Racquet Club.
Griffin stopped the No. 15 player in the nation, the Jayhawks' Kris Sell, in two sets in her return to the place where she was a high school state champion. She improved to 8-1 on the season and also teamed up with doubles partner Lorraine Bittles (Nasville, Tenn./Brentwood Academy) to
remain undefeated on the season at 8-0. They topped the No. 33 ranked team in the nation of Sell and Cheryl Mallaiah.
At No. 2, junior Stacy Walkowitz (Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Springs) defeated Brooke Chiller, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Walkowitz and sophomore Chrissie Terrill (Plano, Tex./The Hockaday School) dropped their first doubles loss of the spring season after Terrill pulled out with a sprained ankle.
Terrill also lost her first singles match of the season after a string of eight consecutive victories.
The other winner on the day for the Terps was freshman Courtney Perkins (Seattle, Wash./Mt. Ranier) who is tied for the team-high of eights wins along with Griffin and Terrill.
Maryland falls to 7-2 on the year as Kansas improves to 5-6. The Terps finish their four-match road trip at Florida State on March 21 and at Arizona State on March 23. They return to College Park to host Yale on Saturday, March 27 beginning at 11:00 a.m. The location (Tennis Bubble or Cole Field House courts) will be determined based on weather.
Singles:
1 - Meg Griffin (MD) defeated #15 Kris Sell (KU) 7-5, 7-5
2 - Stacy Walkowitz (MD) defeated Brooke Chiller (KU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
3 - Cheryl Mallaiah (KU) defeated Lorraine Bittles (MD) 6-1, 6-2
4 - Monica Sekulov (KU) defeated Chrissie Terrill (MD) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
5 - Julia Sidorova (KU) defeated Adrienne Pavelko (MD) 6-1, 7-6(5)
6 - Courtney Perkins (MD) defeated Lisa Mallaiah (KU) 6-2, 6-0
Doubles:
1 - #11 Griffin/Bittles (MD) defeated #33 Sell/C. Mallaiah (KU) 8-2
2 - Chiller/Sidorova (KU) defeated Walkowitz/Terrill (MD) 3-2 (def. -injury)
3 - Sekulov/L. Mallaiah (KU) defeated Pavelko/Perkins (MD) 9-8(4)
