Cats Defeat Cyclones in Home Finale

MANHATTAN, Kan.?– On Sunday, K-State's home finale at Mike Goss Tennis Stadium ended with a 6-1 victory over the Iowa State Cyclones.

"We feel like we've been there every match, it was just a matter of time to get all of the pieces together," head coach Jordan Smith said. "For us to come out here against West Virginia and Iowa State, get two doubles points, and for the most part, do very well in singles, that was important for us and that's something we've been trying to build on. Looking forward to see how we do in practice this week as we play KU on Saturday."

K-State (12-9, 2-6 Big 12) picked up its second straight victory and finished its home schedule with an 8-3 record.

After winning on Courts 2 and 3, the Wildcats were able to clinch the doubles point for the fourth time in their last five matches.

Sophomore Maria Linares and freshman Ioana Gheorghita ousted Ekaterina Repina and Margarita Timakova, 6-3. Freshman Karine-Marion Job and junior Ines Mesquita won against Maty Cancini and Annabella Bonadonna, 6-3.

The sophomore tandem of Anna Turco and Margot Decker competed against Regina Espindola and Ekaterina Grib, but went unfinished, 5-4.

In singles, Turco won her fifth consecutive victory with a straight-set win from the No. 2 spot against Espindola, 6-2, 6-0. Job won on Court 4 against Repina, 6-3, 6-2. After Sunday's match, Turco and Job both lead the team in singles with a 13-6 record.

From the No. 6 spot, Gheorghita picked up a striaght-set win over Timakova, 6-3, 6-3. At the No. 5 position in the lineup, Mesquita was victorious against Bonahonna, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, marking her third straight singles win.

The Wildcats' final singles win came from the top spot in the lineup, as Linares used a third-set tiebreak to defeate Cancini, 7-5, 5-7, 11-9.

At the No. 3 spot, Decker spilt the first two sets with Grib, 6-0, 2-6, before falling in a tiebreaker, 9-11.

The Cats will now prepare for the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence on Saturday for their final Big 12 match before heading into the Big 12 tournament that will also be hosted in Lawrence.

"(For the Big 12 tournament) we stay in Kansas," Smith said. "Even though we are going to be away on the road, just over an hour, we're still here. So, we have a comfortable feeling. Being in Kansas we have people come down and we have support so it can feel a little bit like a home atmosphere."

Next Event

Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Margot Decker

Ioana Gheorghita

Karine-Marion Job

Maria Linares

Ines Mesquita

Anna Turco