Kansas State University
William & Mary
Cats Head to Athens for ITA Kickoff Weekend
Jan 24, 2019 | Tennis
MANHATTAN, Kan.?– K-State's women's tennis will continue its spring season at the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Athens, Georgia, squaring off against William & Mary on Friday at 9 a.m. CT at the Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Courts.
The weekend will mark the first time that K-State has participated in the prestigious indoor tournament, which also features South Florida and host No. 5 Georgia as part of the four-team field. The event is one of 15 ITA Kickoff tournaments throughout the country, with the winner of each four-team site advancing to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships that will take place in Seattle from February 8-11.
The Wildcats (1-0), who finished 2018 as the ITA's 39th-ranked team in 2018, opened their spring season at home last Saturday with a 7-0 sweep of South Dakota at Body First Indoor Tennis Center. Against the Coyotes, the Cats' swept all three doubles matches and all six singles matches.
The doubles teams of Margot Decker and Anna Turco, Maria Linares and Ines Mesquita, Ioana Gheorghita and Maria Ponomareva each claimed 6-2 victories.
French newcomer Karine-Marion Job won her first match as a Wildcat, winning in straight sets at the No. 6 position. Job, along with freshmen Gheorghita and Ponomareva, all picked up wins in their K-State debuts.
Playing at the top singles spot, Linares claimed a straight-set win for her second career victory at No. 1. Decker collected a two-set win at the second position while Turco was also victorious in straight sets at No. 3 singles.
K-State is 2-0 all-time against William & Mary (1-1), including a 4-3 road win last season when the Tribe were ranked No. 48. The Wildcats are 0-1 against Georgia and have never faced USF. The fifth-ranked Bulldogs feature six nationally ranked singles players on their roster.
Saturday, the Cats will either play in the championship match at 1 p.m. CT or in the consolation final at 9 a.m. Fans can follow both matches through live video and scoring at K-StateSports.com with live updates on the team's official Twitter page @KStateTEN.
Players Mentioned
