SE: K-State Tennis Freshmen Eager for First Round of In-State Battles, Capped by Hosting Sunflower Showdown on Sunday
Apr 12, 2018 | Tennis, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
K-State women's tennis' four freshmen grew up thousands of miles away from Manhattan, yet they talk about the in-state rivalries like Kansas natives.
This week, those four freshmen — Anna Turco, Rosanna Maffei, Margot Decker and Maria Linares — will face off with two in-state foes for the first time. The 36th-ranked Wildcats (14-5, 4-2) play at No. 34 Wichita State (15-6) on Friday and host No. 17 Kansas (13-4, 5-1) on Sunday, both opportunities for K-State to boost its NCAA Tournament chances.
"I'm so motivated and so are the other girls," Turco, from Italy, said. "We really want to beat them. Also, because they're very (highly ranked), it would be really good for us."
"I'm really excited for the matches," Maffei, also Italian, added. "Everyone is excited. I think we are ready to play against them. We are working really hard as a team and also me, personally, I'm trying to work harder and harder."
Part of the Wildcat newcomers' immediate passion for the in-state rivalries stems from their experiences watching them in other sports, most notably in men's basketball against Kansas.
"Oh my God, it was incredible. The experience of the people cheering for K-State was incredible," Turco said of her first experience with the Sunflower Showdown in Bramlage Coliseum. "You saw that it was very important here to beat rivals."
Simply put, K-State's freshmen have been looking forward to this weekend all season. Both opponents will be tough, they know, but they believe in their ability to come out on top.
"They are (both) one of the best teams in their conference," Linares said, "but we are playing really, really good and I think we're confident in this moment."
Turco said one key in coming out of this weekend successfully would be staying together through the inevitable ups and downs of tennis.
"That's very important because when somebody's down and if she sees everybody else, and we're up and we're cheering, that counts a lot," she said. "Just be a team, strong, and show them that we are there ready to fight and ready to win. Even if they are better in ranking, we still can fight and win."
K-State comes off a pair of road wins last weekend against West Virginia and Iowa State, moving the Wildcats up to sole possession of fourth place in the Big 12 standings. The pair of victories also pushed K-State's season total to 14, tied for the third-most in program history, with four left to go in the regular season.
Along with the pair of victories, K-State also picked up its first doubles point in conference play in its win at Iowa State. After switching up the Wildcats' second and third pairings going into the weekend, the move paid off and helped the Wildcats earn their first conference sweep of the season against the Cyclones.
"We were really, really happy because it was the first doubles victory for us in the conference. It was a little difficult because it was the first time (with those partners)," Linares, who played with Turco, said. "But we played good together. Ines (Mesquita) and Rosy played good together, too. I think that's a good combination in this moment."
Some more doubles success this weekend could go a long way toward K-State earning in-state bragging rights. Even without it, the Wildcats know they can still come out on top from their 4-1 record in deciding singles matches this season.
"Hopefully we can win those two points this weekend. It's going to help us," Decker said. "Even if we don't win them, we know after that we can do it anyway."
K-State women's tennis' four freshmen grew up thousands of miles away from Manhattan, yet they talk about the in-state rivalries like Kansas natives.
This week, those four freshmen — Anna Turco, Rosanna Maffei, Margot Decker and Maria Linares — will face off with two in-state foes for the first time. The 36th-ranked Wildcats (14-5, 4-2) play at No. 34 Wichita State (15-6) on Friday and host No. 17 Kansas (13-4, 5-1) on Sunday, both opportunities for K-State to boost its NCAA Tournament chances.
"I'm so motivated and so are the other girls," Turco, from Italy, said. "We really want to beat them. Also, because they're very (highly ranked), it would be really good for us."
"I'm really excited for the matches," Maffei, also Italian, added. "Everyone is excited. I think we are ready to play against them. We are working really hard as a team and also me, personally, I'm trying to work harder and harder."
Part of the Wildcat newcomers' immediate passion for the in-state rivalries stems from their experiences watching them in other sports, most notably in men's basketball against Kansas.
"Oh my God, it was incredible. The experience of the people cheering for K-State was incredible," Turco said of her first experience with the Sunflower Showdown in Bramlage Coliseum. "You saw that it was very important here to beat rivals."
Simply put, K-State's freshmen have been looking forward to this weekend all season. Both opponents will be tough, they know, but they believe in their ability to come out on top.
"They are (both) one of the best teams in their conference," Linares said, "but we are playing really, really good and I think we're confident in this moment."
Turco said one key in coming out of this weekend successfully would be staying together through the inevitable ups and downs of tennis.
"That's very important because when somebody's down and if she sees everybody else, and we're up and we're cheering, that counts a lot," she said. "Just be a team, strong, and show them that we are there ready to fight and ready to win. Even if they are better in ranking, we still can fight and win."
K-State comes off a pair of road wins last weekend against West Virginia and Iowa State, moving the Wildcats up to sole possession of fourth place in the Big 12 standings. The pair of victories also pushed K-State's season total to 14, tied for the third-most in program history, with four left to go in the regular season.
Along with the pair of victories, K-State also picked up its first doubles point in conference play in its win at Iowa State. After switching up the Wildcats' second and third pairings going into the weekend, the move paid off and helped the Wildcats earn their first conference sweep of the season against the Cyclones.
"We were really, really happy because it was the first doubles victory for us in the conference. It was a little difficult because it was the first time (with those partners)," Linares, who played with Turco, said. "But we played good together. Ines (Mesquita) and Rosy played good together, too. I think that's a good combination in this moment."
Some more doubles success this weekend could go a long way toward K-State earning in-state bragging rights. Even without it, the Wildcats know they can still come out on top from their 4-1 record in deciding singles matches this season.
"Hopefully we can win those two points this weekend. It's going to help us," Decker said. "Even if we don't win them, we know after that we can do it anyway."
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