K-State Wraps Up First Fall Tournament Sunday
Sep 23, 2018 | Tennis
Linares, Maffei collect victories on final day
FORT WORTH, Texas – A singles victory over a nationally ranked opponent by sophomore Maria Linares and a singles win by Rosanna Maffei highlighted the Kansas State tennis team's final day of the Big 5 Challenge at the Bayard H. Freidman Tennis Center Sunday.
K-State completed its first of the fall season with eight singles wins, including a pair by both Linares and Maffei. Sophomore Anna Turco also won two singles matches while freshmen Ioana Gheorghita and Maria Ponomareva each earned their first victories as a Wildcat during the four-day event.
"It was great to be back competing with the team this weekend. We were able to get a lot of quality matches in," first-year head coach Jordan Smith said. "I thought we competed hard each day and got a little better throughout the tournament. There were good things from our team and some areas that we need to improve on. I am looking forward to our next competition."
Linares defeated No. 121 Ilze Hattingh of Arizona State, 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10) while Maffei overtook the Sun Devils' Sammi Hampton, 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (2). Linares and Maffei each went 2-1 during singles action over the weekend.
K-State sophomore Margot Decker, ranked No. 111 in the country, dropped a straight-set decision to Georgia's Vivian Wolff, 4-6, 4-6. The Bulldogs' Annette Goulak defeated Gheorghita, 6-2, 6-0, while Ponomareva lost in a third-set tiebreaker to Kansas' Sonia Smagina, 5-7, 6-4, (1-0). The freshman duo each went 1-2 in singles play.
Turco also fell in a third-set tiebreaker Sunday to 118th-ranked Savannah Slaysman of Arizona State, 6-2, 2-6, 1-0, (7). Junior Ines Mesquita lost to the Sun Devils' Tereza Kolarova, 6-2, 6-3.
The Cats will now prepare for the Hoosier Fall Classic, which will begin September 28 in Bloomington, Indiana. Fans can find live updates on the team's official Twitter page @KStateTEN.
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