Dec. 18, 2002

MANHATTAN, Kan. - Five matches against teams that appeared in the NCAA Tournament, including four home matches, highlight the Kansas State Wildcats' 2003 women's tennis schedule, released Wednesday by 18-year head coach Steve Bietau.

Texas, a NCAA Sweet Sixteen participant, headlines the Wildcats' schedule. In addition to the Longhorns, the 18-match schedule features battles with NCAA Tournament participants Mississippi, SW Missouri State, Texas A&M and Texas Christian. In all, the schedule includes 11 matches with teams ranked in the final 2002 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Top 75 Rankings.

Kansas State will face an always difficult 11-match Big 12 Conference slate. The Wildcats open conference play March 1 with a home match against Texas Tech. K-State also entertains Colorado, Nebraska, Texas A&M and Texas in Manhattan. The team begins the road portion of its league season on March 8-9 when it plays at Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, respectively. The 'Cats also make visits to Baylor, Iowa State, Missouri and Kansas.

In addition to the five Big 12 home matches, the eight-match home schedule includes matches with Brigham Young, Southwest Missouri State and Utah. K-State opens its 28th regular season on Jan. 24 with BYU at 1 p.m. in Ahearn Field House. The Wildcats' match with Utah will be played at Cottonwood Racquet Club, while the other home matches will be at Ahearn Field House or the outdoor Washburn Tennis Facility.

Kansas will host the Big 12 Championships in Kansas City on April 24-27 at the Plaza Tennis Center.

Kansas State, which posted a 12-9 record in 2002, returns four letterwinners from last season, including three players recently ranked in the ITA Fall Central Region rankings. Senior Petra Sedlmajerova, who was 14th in the regional rankings, returns as the Wildcats' No. 1 singles player after posting a 5-5 record during the fall season and an 18-10 mark at No. 3 singles in 2002. Sophomore Maria Rosenberg, who was 19-9 at No. 4 singles a year ago, also posted a 5-5 fall record and received a No. 15 fall ranking. Junior Hayley McIver, who received her first collegiate ranking when she was listed 28th, turned in an impressive 9-6 fall record after playing only nine matches in 2002.