Kansas State University
William & Mary
Cats Advance to Championship Round at ITA Kickoff Weekend
Jan 25, 2019 | Tennis
K-State defeats William & Mary behind four singles wins
ATHENS, Ga.?– Behind four singles victories from the top four spots in the lineup, K-State advanced to the championship match of the ITA Kickoff Weekend with a 4-1 win over William & Mary on Friday afternoon inside the Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Courts.
"I'm very happy with the team effort today," head coach Jordan Smith said. "I thought we did a great job of responding after losing the doubles point. All our singles found their confidence and focus and set the tone early on. It's rare for us to play in a neutral environment, but it can be difficult without much outside energy to feed off of. I'm proud of how our team came together and brought tons of energy from beginning to end. That made the difference in our match today. We will be ready a great battle against either Georgia or South Florida tomorrow."
The Wildcats (2-0) are one step closer to participating in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships and will meet the winner of host Georgia and South Florida who play later Friday. The winner of the championship round will advance forward to the national championships in February.
After William & Mary (1-2) took the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 3, K-State responded with singles wins from each of its top four spots – each winning in straight sets – to seal a victory in its first-ever ITA Kickoff Weekend appearance.
Playing at the top spot in the lineup for the second straight match, sophomore Maria Linares defeated William & Mary's Rosie Cheng, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6) for the match-securing win. Fellow sophomore Margot Decker upended Natalia Perry, 6-2, 6-4, at the No. 2 position.
Junior Ines Mesquita had little trouble with the Tribe's Lauren Goodman, winning 6-0, 6-2 at No. 4 singles while sophomore Anna Turco ousted Clara Tanielian, 6-4, 7-5, from the third spot.
Two freshmen, Karine-Marion Job and Ioana Gheorghita, each went unfinished from the fifth and sixth positions, respectively, after K-State secured its third straight victory over William & Mary.
In competition, Gheorghita and Job fell to Perry and Mila Saric, 6-3, from the third spot while Clara Tanielian and Cheng won against Decker and Turco, 6-4, at No. 1 doubles. Linares and Mesquita's match against Goodman and Charlotte Madson went unfinished.
Saturday, the Cats will play in the championship match at 1 p.m. CT. Fans can follow the match through live video and scoring at K-StateSports.com with live updates available on the team's official Twitter page @KStateTEN.
Players Mentioned
