Kansas State University Athletics
Kansas State University
Northwestern
K-State's Season Comes to a Close with 4-0 Loss to Northwestern
May 12, 2018 | Tennis
The Wildcats finished the season with their second most wins (15) in school history
EVANSTON, Ill. – The No. 42 K-State women's tennis team could not contain No. 14 seed and pod host Northwestern on Saturday as the Wildcats' postseason run concluded with a 4-0 loss in the Second Round of the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship at the Combe Tennis Center.
K-State (15-11) battled through the doubles point against Northwestern (23-5), which is ranked 13th in the ITA national rankings, but losses at No. 1 and 3 gave Northwestern an early lead. In singles, Northwestern used straight-set wins at No. 2, 3 and 5 to clinch the match and advance to the third round of the NCAA tournament.
Despite the loss, K-State concluded the 2018 campaign with its most wins in a season as well as its first berth in the NCAA Tournament in 15 years. The Wildcats' 15 victories are the second-most in program history (most: 16, 2011).
The doubles point was decided at No. 3 when K-State's Maria Linares and Anna Turco, who had a 4-2 advantage in the early part of the set, lost to Northwestern's Julie Byrne and Rheeya Doshi, 7-5. The result followed K-State's top doubles pair, Margot Decker and Carolina Costamagna, losing to fourth-ranked Erin Larner and Maddie Lipp. Decker and Costamagna trailed early, but they pulled within one game at 4-3. However, Larner and Lipp captured the match, 6-3.
Costamagna was the first to fall in singles, losing at No. 3 to Northwestern's No. 78 Lipp 6-2, 6-1. Northwestern took the third point in the match when Linares, who contended in the first set after breaking serve to make it 5-4, was put away by No. 117 Or 6-4, 6-0. The dual was decided a few minutes later when Northwestern's Alex Chatt staved off Turco with a 6-2, 6-4 decision. After the opening set loss, Turco and Chatt traded games back and forth until Chatt pulled away after the set was tied at 3-3.
Rosanna Maffei was the only K-State singles player leading in a set when the match finished. The freshman was up 5-2 in the second over Byrne before Chatt clinched the match.
Maffei will be among K-State's six returners in 2018-19, four of which will be sophomores. The group includes Big 12 Freshman of the Year Linares and All-Big 12 Second Team selection Decker.
Notes
- K-State is 4-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. This year is the third time among its four trips that featured the Wildcats advancing at least to the second round.
- In addition to four sophomores, K-State will return rising juniors Ines Mesquita and Meghan King.
Players Mentioned
