Kansas State University Athletics
SE: How K-State Tennis Found Out It Made the Program’s First NCAA Championship Since 2003
May 02, 2018 | Tennis, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Before Tuesday at 4 p.m., when the NCAA Women's Tennis Championship Selection Show started, the last message on the K-State women's tennis group text was a series of sad-faced emojis.
Then, at 4:06 p.m., K-State head coach Danielle Steinberg sent out a shocking text:
"WE ARE INNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN."
A minute later, she sent another.
"NATIONALS HERE WE COMEEEEEEEE."
A series of rapid responses followed Steinberg's text, informing her players they received a bid to the NCAA Championship to face Kentucky on Friday, May 11, in Evanston, Illinois.
Anna Turco, one of K-State's four freshmen, messaged the group a string of smiling emoji faces with hearts for eyes. Maria Linares, another freshman, sent "Ahhhhhhhh!" Rosanna Maffei, also a freshman, sent "Yesssssss" next to a pair of flexing arm emojis.
"We weren't really expecting it. We were at home and then we saw a text from our coach saying we made it to nationals. We were, like, 'Wait, what?' Everybody started screaming," said K-State sophomore Ines Mesquita, who was with a group of teammates getting ready for Tuesday night's Powercat Choice Awards when they found out. "We just started screaming because we were so happy to go to nationals."
K-State freshman Margot Decker and a few of her teammates were on their way to finish getting ready for K-State's annual student-athlete awards celebration when they got the text from their head coach.
"We thought we weren't going to get in. Then they text us and were, like, 'You're in,'" Decker said. "We were so happy. I'm so happy for the team."
A video of Steinberg and associate head coach Jordan Smith watching the online show together and celebrating the news with an emphatic high-five soon found its way to the group as well.
"This is huge for the program," Steinberg, in her fourth year as head coach, said of K-State's first NCAA appearance since 2003 and its fourth in program history. "When I first came here, I told people that there's no reason K-State shouldn't be at nationals."
K-State senior Carolina Costamagna, who thought her career was over before Steinberg's text, sent back an emoji meant to embody her surprise. Then Costamagna asked for the time mark on the online watch show when K-State's name popped up so she could see it for herself.
"Honestly, we thought we were out at this point. When she text that, I couldn't believe it," Costamagna said. "I almost cried, but from happiness. It was my last opportunity and we did it. It's amazing. I don't know how to describe it. I was so happy.
"I was sad because I thought I'm not going to play tennis anymore and now this comes and I'm happy I can keep practicing a little bit more and I can play another match, hopefully more than one. I'm so happy that this is not done for me. I'm happy for the girls — the freshmen, Ines, Meghan (King), Carol (Lewis) because she's a senior too. It's amazing, really."
The Wildcats' collective surprise stemmed from the speculative projections that had them on the wrong side of the bubble. This made Steinberg simply want to know one way or the other, instead of painstakingly waiting multiple days for the selection show to possibly see 64 teams she didn't coach get announced.
After getting in, of course, she did not mind the wait.
"If you asked me two days ago, I would've said I just want to know and get it over with because we were on the bubble, but this is a lot more fun, to find out we're in like this," she said. "I'm OK with doing this every year."
While K-State finished the regular season tied for the third-most wins in program history, the Wildcats did not cap it how they had hoped. They dropped their last five matches heading into the NCAA Championship, albeit all to ranked opponents and all in competitive matches.
Now, the No. 42-ranked Wildcats get another chance to prove they can not only play with the best but beat them, too.
"I'm really happy for the team because I don't think we ended the season the way we wanted and just to have this, it's another chance," Decker said. "We're very happy for that."
"It feels really good, kind of like a relief because we worked so hard and people noticed," Mesquita added. "We got the chance to go to nationals to prove that we deserve to be there after all we did this season."
Before Tuesday at 4 p.m., when the NCAA Women's Tennis Championship Selection Show started, the last message on the K-State women's tennis group text was a series of sad-faced emojis.
Then, at 4:06 p.m., K-State head coach Danielle Steinberg sent out a shocking text:
"WE ARE INNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN."
A minute later, she sent another.
"NATIONALS HERE WE COMEEEEEEEE."
A series of rapid responses followed Steinberg's text, informing her players they received a bid to the NCAA Championship to face Kentucky on Friday, May 11, in Evanston, Illinois.
Anna Turco, one of K-State's four freshmen, messaged the group a string of smiling emoji faces with hearts for eyes. Maria Linares, another freshman, sent "Ahhhhhhhh!" Rosanna Maffei, also a freshman, sent "Yesssssss" next to a pair of flexing arm emojis.
"We weren't really expecting it. We were at home and then we saw a text from our coach saying we made it to nationals. We were, like, 'Wait, what?' Everybody started screaming," said K-State sophomore Ines Mesquita, who was with a group of teammates getting ready for Tuesday night's Powercat Choice Awards when they found out. "We just started screaming because we were so happy to go to nationals."
K-State freshman Margot Decker and a few of her teammates were on their way to finish getting ready for K-State's annual student-athlete awards celebration when they got the text from their head coach.
"(Coaches) texted us 'you're in' and we were so happy. I'm shivering, I'm so happy for this team." - Margot Decker #KStateTEN pic.twitter.com/3U7QjLlDGR
— K-State Tennis (@KStateTEN) May 1, 2018
"We thought we weren't going to get in. Then they text us and were, like, 'You're in,'" Decker said. "We were so happy. I'm so happy for the team."
A video of Steinberg and associate head coach Jordan Smith watching the online show together and celebrating the news with an emphatic high-five soon found its way to the group as well.
1. Make the NCAA tournament.
— K-State Tennis (@KStateTEN) May 1, 2018
2. Celebrate.#KStateTEN pic.twitter.com/X7TvgOYdG1
"This is huge for the program," Steinberg, in her fourth year as head coach, said of K-State's first NCAA appearance since 2003 and its fourth in program history. "When I first came here, I told people that there's no reason K-State shouldn't be at nationals."
K-State senior Carolina Costamagna, who thought her career was over before Steinberg's text, sent back an emoji meant to embody her surprise. Then Costamagna asked for the time mark on the online watch show when K-State's name popped up so she could see it for herself.
"Honestly, we thought we were out at this point. When she text that, I couldn't believe it," Costamagna said. "I almost cried, but from happiness. It was my last opportunity and we did it. It's amazing. I don't know how to describe it. I was so happy.
"I was sad because I thought I'm not going to play tennis anymore and now this comes and I'm happy I can keep practicing a little bit more and I can play another match, hopefully more than one. I'm so happy that this is not done for me. I'm happy for the girls — the freshmen, Ines, Meghan (King), Carol (Lewis) because she's a senior too. It's amazing, really."
The Wildcats' collective surprise stemmed from the speculative projections that had them on the wrong side of the bubble. This made Steinberg simply want to know one way or the other, instead of painstakingly waiting multiple days for the selection show to possibly see 64 teams she didn't coach get announced.
After getting in, of course, she did not mind the wait.
"If you asked me two days ago, I would've said I just want to know and get it over with because we were on the bubble, but this is a lot more fun, to find out we're in like this," she said. "I'm OK with doing this every year."
While K-State finished the regular season tied for the third-most wins in program history, the Wildcats did not cap it how they had hoped. They dropped their last five matches heading into the NCAA Championship, albeit all to ranked opponents and all in competitive matches.
Now, the No. 42-ranked Wildcats get another chance to prove they can not only play with the best but beat them, too.
"I'm really happy for the team because I don't think we ended the season the way we wanted and just to have this, it's another chance," Decker said. "We're very happy for that."
"It feels really good, kind of like a relief because we worked so hard and people noticed," Mesquita added. "We got the chance to go to nationals to prove that we deserve to be there after all we did this season."
"It feels really good, we worked so hard and people noticed." - Ines Mesquita #KStateTEN pic.twitter.com/EHUHX2GO1t
— K-State Tennis (@KStateTEN) May 1, 2018
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