Kansas State University
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Kansas
Cats, Jayhawks Meet in Regular-Season Finale
Apr 11, 2019 | Tennis
MANHATTAN, Kan.?– In its regular-season finale, K-State will head to Lawrence to take on No. 20 Kansas in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown Saturday at Jayhawk Tennis Center at 1 p.m.
The Wildcats (12-9, 2-6 Big 12) are on a two-match winning streak after sweeping West Virginia on Friday, 7-0, and defeating Iowa State on Sunday, 6-1. K-State clinched the doubles point in both matches, doing so in three straight and four of its last five.
Kansas (15-4, 6-2 Big 12) enters Saturday having won its last four matches and six of its last seven overall. KU swept Iowa State, 7-0, Friday and then won on Sunday against West Virginia, 6-1.
No. 26 Anastasia Rychagova leads the team in singles with a 15-2 record (5-2 Big 12). No. 96 Janet Koch is 10-9 overall and 4-4 in the conference.
In doubles, Koch and Nina Khmelnitckaia sit at No. 3 in the ITA rankings, with a 14-1 record (6-1 Big 12). No. 73 Rychagova and Sonia Smagina come in with a 14-3 mark and are 5-2 in conference.
K-State sophomore Anna Turco enters the match having won five consecutive matches. On Friday, Turco won 6-2, 6-2 then came on Sunday to win 6-2, 6-0. In doubles, Turco and sophomore Margot Decker won on Friday, 6-0.
K-State picked up its first two conference wins after winning six singles matches on Friday and five on Sunday.
Sophomore Maria Linares won her matches on Friday, 6-2, 6-3, and won on Sunday after a third-set tiebreaker, 7-5, 5-7, 11-9. Freshman Karine-Marion Job won both of her matches, 6-2, 6-1 on Friday and 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday.
Junior Ines Mesquita won on Friday after a tiebreaker, 6-2, 4-6, 10-7, then on Sunday won again after a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4. Mesquita has won her last three singles matches.
Freshman Ioana Gheorghita also won both of her matches, 6-4, 6-2 on Friday, then 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday.
The Cats' doubles tandem of Gheorghita and Linares has won three straight matches and are 6-2 this spring.
The Jayhawks are 10-0 at home this season. K-State's all-time record against KU is 14-44 and 6-20 in Lawrence. The Cats are 2-6 this season when facing a ranked opponent.
After the Dillons Sunflower Showdown, the Wildcats will travel back to Lawrence for the Big 12 Championship that gets underway on Thursday, April 18 at Jayhawk Tennis Center.
Fans can follow live stats on K-StateSports.com with live updates on the team's Twitter page @KStateTEN.
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Players Mentioned
