DALLAS- The Wildcats finished their
three-day tournament on a high note winning four matches, including a doubles
championship by Livia Cirnu and Iva Bago.
Cirnu
and Bago defeated Alex Bourguignon/Graciela Rosas of Gonzaga 6-4. They
finished the weekend with three doubles wins. This adds to the two doubles championships
fellow Wildcats earned last weekend at the OU Invite.
Maria Panaite and Palma Juhasz notched another doubles win for the
Wildcats. The senior duo defeated Angeles de los Rios/Valeria Lopez of UT-Arlington,
6-3.
“Our doubles were very strong once again,” said head coach
Danielle Steinberg. “Even when we had to switch the teams up due to illness, we
still showed up strong and were able to win. I think all the work we put into
doubles in the past two years is finally paying off, and we are very excited about
that.”
Bago and Panatie were also both victorious in their respected
singles matches Sunday. Bago defeated Victoria Kareh of Incarnate World, 6-1,
6-1. Panaite beat Air Force’s Jocelle Rudico 6-2,6-1.
Coach Steinberg is pleased with early progress, but is looking
to build more as the year goes on. She goes on to say, “We made some
improvements in singles on specific courts but we are definitely not where we want
to be yet. Considering it is early October, we are happy with our showing and
the physical shape the girls are in.”
After back-to-back tournaments, the K-State women’s tennis team
will continue its early season schedule by heading to Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the ITA Regional Championships October, 13-17.
“We basically have one day of practice before we head out to
Minnesota for our biggest tournament of the fall,” explained Steinberg. “The
regional field is very deep this year, maybe the deepest we've had in the
recent years, and I am very excited to see the team compete at the highest
level.”
After play in Minneapolis, the Wildcats will have some time off
before they will play in the San Diego State Fall Classic November, 11-13.
