K-State Wraps Up Fall Slate at ASU Invitational This Weekend

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State women's tennis team will complete its fall slate this weekend, as the Wildcats head to Tempe, Arizona for the ASU Invitational at the Whiteman Tennis Center.

The three-day invitational, which begins on Friday, will feature 12 programs from around the country, including three Big 12 teams. The field includes Arizona State, California, Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Kansas, Texas Tech, Mississippi State, San Diego and Northern Arizona.

"We've been doing well this fall with our singles results," said Head Coach Jordan Smith. "I think this last event will allow us to keep building on singles and try to make a stronger push in doubles. Moving towards the spring, the doubles point will always play a big part of our future success."

Four Wildcats are expected to compete in the three-day event which includes senior Ines Mesquita, juniors Anna Turco and Margot Decker and sophomore Karine-Marion Job. All four will compete in singles play, while the pairings of Job and Mesquita and Turco and Decker will enter the doubles portion of the bracket.

Job will compete in her fourth meet of the 2019 fall season, while Turco, Mesquita and Decker will be participating in their third event of fall play.

During the 2018 Thunderbird Classic hosted by Arizona State, the Wildcats compiled three winning marks for the tournament as Turco and sophomore Rosanna Maffei would all end their singles competitions with 2-1 records.

In regards to the 2019 fall season, K-State recently competed at the ITA Central Regional Championships back on October 18-20. K-State had three players enter the Round of 16 at the Headington Family Tennis Center, which included Decker, Maffei and junior Maria Linares. All three would fall in their respective matchups after pulling out two victories during the first two days of the tournament.

For Decker, it was the third straight year she has entered the Round of 16 at the Central Regional Championships.

Referring to the first day of the ITA Central Regionals, K-State grabbed seven victories in singles play, which included victories from Decker, Job and Turco. Job would hold off her opponent in the Round of 64, Minnesota's Juliet Zhang, with a three-set victory, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Turco took care of business in her Round of 64 matchup against Missouri's Serena Nash in three sets, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4, while Mesquita could not pull away with a victory in the Round of 64, as she fell to Arkansas' Jackie Carr, 3-6, 2-6.

The pairings of Job/Mesquita and Turco/Decker also participated in the doubles portion of the Central Regional Championships with Turco and Decker clinching their Round of 64 match against the duo of Alana Bourgeois and Mariluz Rojo from Saint Louis with an 8-6 set victory.

Both Mesquita and Job went head-to-head against Missouri's Gabrielle Goldin and Serena Nash in their Round of 64 matchup for doubles play but could not comeback during their set loss to the Tigers pairing, 6-8.

Over the course of four tournaments that included one national and one regional event during the 2019 fall season, K-State has earned 28 victories in singles play while obtaining seven wins in doubles competition.

After the conclusion of the ASU Invitational on Sunday, K-State will continue its preparation for the 2020 spring season before facing off with Penn State on Saturday, January 18 for the first home meet of the 2019-20 campaign.

For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or Kansas State Tennis on Facebook.

K-State Wraps Up Fall Slate at ASU Invitational This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Margot Decker

Karine-Marion Job

Maria Linares

Rosanna Maffei

Ines Mesquita

Anna Turco

Kansas State University Athletics