Following the lead of top singles player Brooke Chiller, Kansas University’s women’s tennis team members spray-painted their shoes the left one blue, the right, crimson on the eve of their Big 12 tournament opener.

The paint had barely dried by the time the seventh-seeded Jayhawks whitewashed 10th-seeded Iowa State, 5-0, Thursday at the Plaza Tennis Center.

“We just wanted to show a bit of team spirit,” said KU junior Monica Sekulov, who set the tone with a speedy 6-1, 6-0 victory over Kendra Leese. “We’ve got bracelets and ribbons in our hair, too.”

None of the Jayhawks was about to attribute the run-away rout to such trinkets. After all, KU hammered the Cyclones, 7-2, in the regular season.

Still, the Jayhawks thought it was a nice show of unity and it sure beat shaving their heads.

“I don’t know that it helps when you’re on the court,” said Chiller, who started the fashion trend by painting a shoe blue for her senior-day farewell. “But it adds a bit of fun to it. Everyone’s excited to play. It doesn’t make a difference on the court, but it’s a reminder you’re not just playing for yourself. When you win, everybody wins. And it was a way for us to spend time together, making bracelets stupid stuff.”

Chiller was challenged by ISU’s Noortje Cornelissen. Chiller won the year’s earlier meeting, 6-1, 6-2. She squeaked out a 6-4, 6-4 win on Thursday.

“I wasn’t too happy,” said Chiller, a native of Warrnambool, Australia. “The conditions weren’t too good. It’s kind of frustrating when it’s as windy as it was.”

Chiller had another explanation for her disappointing victory: Her parents were in town. Yep, her folks made the long flight from Australia to watch Chiller play for the first time in nearly two years and to meet up with their son, Brad, an assistant coach at Oklahoma State.

“I was a little nervous,” Chiller said. “I wanted to play well in front of them. But I fought hard.”

All the Jayhawks did, KU coach Jenny Garrity said.

“Monica really set the tone for us, putting us ahead right off the bat,” said Garrity, who went along with the crimson-and-blue shoe bit. “The others had very strong first sets. Iowa State came back on a lot of courts. But I was pleased we didn’t have any three-setters. It was 4-all, 3-all on a couple of courts, and we didn’t have any three setters.”

Sekulov, a Hemersley, Australia, native, didn’t like the tone she set early. She lost her first game of the day, then ran the next 12.

“I thought I was in a bit of trouble at first,” Sekulov said with a laugh. “She’s very difficult, very consistent. Last time was much closer. I knew I wanted to play aggressive. I did that, and everything fell into place.”

KU (13-11) will face second-seeded Baylor (19-3) at 4 this afternoon in the quarterfinals. BU, which had a first-round bye, beat Kansas, 6-3, during the regular season.

“It was very close,” Garrity said. “We played inside, which I think helped them a little bit. They’re hard hitters. Baylor’s going to be tough. They have an extremely talented lineup. But we match up well with them. And we’re playing with absolutely nothing to lose.”

Except, maybe, a little paint off their shoes.

KU’s other winners Thursday were: Cheryl Mallaiah, 6-4, 6-2, over Edna Vazquez; Lisa Mallaiah, 6-1, 6-4, over Karin Westberg; and Christi Wagenaar, 6-2, 6-1, over Tara Goedjen.

The Kansas-Baylor winner will advance to the 1 p.m. Saturday semifinals against either No. 3 Texas A&M or No. 6 Nebraska.

KU’s men, seeded fourth, will face fifth-seeded Oklahoma State at 11 this morning.