Tennis Team Upsets No. 34 Missouri On The Road
Mar 29, 2003 | Tennis
March 29, 2003
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The 54th-ranked Kansas State tennis team upset its third opponent of the season and won its third-straight match when it beat No. 34 Missouri, 5-2, Saturday at the Green Tennis Center
"It was one of the toughest matches I have seen in a while," Kansas State head coach Steve Bietau said. "We have a lot of respect for Missouri and nothing happened today to change that. We needed to play a complete match to win and we did. It was one of the best overall team matches of all-time. The team was very composed and poised today. It was a great combination of effort and intelligence."
After winning the doubles point, Kansas State was tied with Missouri before the Wildcats won three of the next four singles matches to clinch the upset. Junior Hayley McIver secured the victory for K-State for a second time this season when she beat Mary Barry 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 at No. 5 singles. McIver improved to 5-1 in Big 12 matches and 18-9 overall.
The Wildcats won at No. 3 and No. 4 singles to lead 3-1 after Missouri had tied the match at one all when 32nd-ranked Urska Juric beat senior Petra Sedlmajerova 6-0, 6-3 at No. 1 singles. The loss dropped Sedlmajerova to 3-3 in the league and 13-10 overall. Freshman Jessica Simosa won her second match of the weekend and improved to 4-2 in Big 12 play and 13-10 overall with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 victory over Katka Sevcikova at No. 3. Junior Paulina Castillejos defeated Kristina Olshanskaya, 6-4, 6-4 at No. 4 to improve to 4-2 in conference play and 7-6 overall.
The Tigers pulled within one point, 3-2, after Kansas State's Maria Rosenberg fell to Hana Kraftova in a three-set battle, 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-2. The Manhattan High product stands at 4-2 in Big 12 action and 15-8 overall.
After McIver secured the win, Kansas State picked up its final point at No. 6 when Andrea Cooper beat Lucie Ruskova, 6-1, 6-2. Cooper is now 4-1 in league play and 15-8 on the season.
"We played very hard, really smart today," Kansas State assistant coach Andres Gonzalez said. "We out-fought and out-smarted them today. It was one of our best all-around matches."
Kansas State (9-4, 4-2) led 1-0 in the match after winning two of three doubles matches over the Tigers (10-4, 4-3). K-State's No. 2 doubles team of McIver and Cooper improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12 with an 8-2 victory over Barry and Kraftova. At No. 3 doubles, Rosenberg and Simosa won their second consecutive match of the weekend by beating Olshanskaya and Ruskova, 8-4. Sedlmajerova and Castillejos had their three-match winning streak snapped with an 8-6 loss to 16th-ranked Juric and Sevcikova at No. 1 doubles.
Kansas State returns to action April 5 when it hosts Colorado at noon at the Washburn Tennis Facility.
(54) Kansas State vs. (34) Missouri
March 29, 2003 - Columbia, Mo. - Green Tennis Center
Team Score - Kansas State 5, Missouri 2
KSU Team Record: 9-4, 4-2. MU Team Record: 10-4, 4-3
Singles
1.Urska Juric,MUdef. Petra Sedlmajerova, KS 6-0, 6-3
2.Hana Kraftova,MUdef. Maria Rosenberg, KS 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-2
3.Jessica Simosa, KS def.Katka SevcikovaKS6-4, 1-6, 6-2
4.Paulina Castillejos, KS def.Kristina Olshanskaya, MU6-4, 6-4
5.Hayley McIver, KS def.Mary Barry, MU6-1, 2-6, 6-2
6.Andrea Cooper, KS def.Lucie Ruskova, MU6-1, 6-2
Doubles
1.Juric/Sevcikova, MU def.Castillejos/Sedlmajerova, KS8-6
2.Cooper/McIver, KS def.Barry/Kraftova, MU8-2
3.Simosa/Rosenberg, KS def.Olshanskaya/Ruskova, MU8-4
