Wichita State was the big winner on championship Sunday at the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Tennis Individual Championship at the Drake Tennis Center in Des Moines, Iowa. The Shockers claimed eight flight titles, the most for any MVC women’s individual championship since Drake won eight in 1992. Indiana State’s Sarah Meghoufel won her second MVC individual title in as many seasons, adding the No. 1 championship to her win at No. 2 last season.

Wichita State swept the three doubles flights and flights three through seven in singles.

The Sycamore’s Meghoufel was the only repeat winner in this year’s field, holding off Wichita State’s Lutfiana Budiharto, 7-5, 7-5, at No. 1 singles.

Drake freshman Gabriela Demos was a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 winner over Indiana State’s Valeriia Petrovych at No. 2 singles.

Full results and the final bracket are available below.

Day Two

Wichita State Shockers will compete for nine Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Individual Tennis Championship titles on Sunday, October 12, at the Drake Tennis Center in Des Moines, Iowa, after posting a 9-1 team record in the semifinals. Illinois State will go head-to-head with the Shockers in each of its four flight finals, while Indiana State will make finals appearances in each of the top three singles flights. Southern Illinois and host Drake each earned two spots in the finals.

Players looking to capture MVC Individual titles for the second-straight season are Indiana State’s Sarah Meghoufel and Illinois State’s Tanja Hrovatic. Meghoufel was the No. 2 singles champion a year ago and will take on Wichita State newcomer Lutfiana Budiharto in the final at No. 1 singles. Hrovatic, last year’s champion at No. 6 singles, will try her luck against Florentina Hanisch of Wichita State in the No. 4 singles flight final.

Play will begin with the doubles finals at 9 a.m. and will be followed by the singles finals and placement matches.

Updated brackets and order of play for Sunday are below.

Day One

Wichita State advanced to the semifinals in all 10 flights on the opening day of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Individual Tennis Championship at the Drake Tennis Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Illinois State moved to the semifinals in seven positions, while host Drake advanced in six flights, including half of the semifinalists at No. 7 singles.

2008 team champion Indiana State had each of its four entries advance to the semifinal round and Southern Illinois put five into the semifinals.

Play begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday with semifinal and backdraw doubles, following by semifinal and backdraw singles.

Friday’s results, updated brackets and Saturday’s order of play are included below.

Preview

The State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Individual Tennis Championships will take place this weekend, as the Drake Tennis Courts in Des Moines, Iowa, welcomes nine Valley schools, Oct. 10-12, vying for seven singles and three doubles titles.

Headlining the field are three returning singles champions in Sarah Meghoufel of Indiana State and Julia Zubkova and Tanja Hrovatic, both of Illinois State. Meghoufel, who won last year’s No. 2 singles title and was named Valley Freshman of the Year, and Zubkova, who took the 2007 title at the No. 3 position, will return to contend for top honors at No. 1 singles. Hrovatic, the champion at No. 6 singles in 2007, returns to challenge for the No. 4 singles title.

Also in the draw are several players who held status in last season’s ITA Central Region final rankings, including Wichita State’s Stephanie Dalmacio (No. 15) and Anna Egorova (No. 25). Dalmacio will compete at No. 2 singles, while Egorova will challenge at the No. 4 position.

Preliminary and quarterfinal doubles action will begin Friday, Oct. 10, at 9:00 a.m., with singles play to follow.