Friday, October 2
Lawrence, KS
Kansas State University
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Kansas Invitational
‘Cats Open 2020 Fall Slate at KU Invitational Friday
Oct 01, 2020 | Tennis
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State women's tennis team will step back out on to the court for its first fall tournament of the season this weekend, as the Wildcats go head-to-head with host Kansas and Iowa State at the Kansas Invitational, which runs from Friday through Sunday at the Jayhawk Tennis Center.
This will be the first of three fall tournaments for the Wildcats.
The Kansas Invitational will feature two rounds of doubles play and one singles match between the three programs over the course of each day. Friday's matches start at 10:30 a.m., CT, while Saturday and Sunday will start at 10 a.m. CT, each day.
The Wildcats, who have not played since a March 4 win over Nebraska, will look to jump start their 2020-21 campaign this weekend with a tough slate of Big 12 foes. Iowa State and Kansas both kicked off the season at the ITA Fall Circuit in Lawrence, Kansas on September 20.
K-State head coach Jordan Smith enters his third season, looking to build upon his team's late season surge in the spring after grabbing three victories in the latter part of non-conference play. The Wildcats finished off the 2020 spring slate with an 8-4 mark, which boosted Smith's career record to 21-15.
"Our team should be pumped about playing a tournament this weekend," said Smith. "It has been a long time coming and we have to make the most of the opportunity. Last week, we did a great job of competing against each other during our Purple vs. White match. A lot of credit to our team for digging deep and fighting on Saturday. It's never easy to play hard against your teammate. Therefore, all the ladies should be able to show more grit against the other teams."
The Wildcats return seven letterwinners from the 2020 season with the top portion of the lineup remaining intact, as senior Margot Decker (8-4) and juniors Maria Linares (8-3) and Anna Turco (6-4) combined for 22 wins throughout the No. 1-3 spots last spring.
Juniors Ioana Gheorghita, Karine-Marion Job and Rosanna Maffei also return for K-State this season after posting efficient outings during both the fall and spring play. Job (6-1) and Maffei (6-3) each claimed six singles victories in the spring, primarily in the 4-6 positions in the lineup.
Maffei won an individual title during the 2019 fall campaign, earning the Flight A title at the Marliss Gruver Fall Invitational last fall in Auburn, Alabama. The Atripalda, Italy native produced four-straight upsets in her bracket to claim the championship on September 22, 2019.
K-State performed well during its fall outings last year, as the group made its mark in each of its five tournaments.
Besides Maffei's triumphant victory at the Marliss Gruver Invitational, Linares, Decker and Turco all found their stride at the ITA All-American Championship from October 7-11. Singles play was a key aspect of Linares' successful fall campaign, as the Maracay, Venezuela native captured three victories at the fall championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, advancing all the way to the Qualifying Round.
Turco and Decker, who predominately competed out of the No. 1 slot in doubles play, made history by becoming one of two pairings in school history to compete in the Qualifying Round of the ITA All-American Championship.
In addition to their successes at the ITA All-American Championship, the Wildcats also found success in the ITA Central Regional Tournament from October 17-22, as the team posted 13 victories in singles competition.
Senior Lilla Barzo is another returner for the Wildcats who registered a 1-3 record in singles play during the spring after not competing in the fall. Freshman Manami Ukita is the only newcomer to the squad and brings solid experience playing on the ITF Tour after the Saitama, Japan native reached as high as No. 147 in the World Junior Rankings.
Kansas brings a ton of fire power to the courts this weekend after several notable performance at the ITA Fall Circuit Championship back on September 20. Junior Tiffany Lagarde captured the individual title with three-straight victories, while teammate Malkia Ngounoue advanced to the semifinals portion.
Iowa State also competed well at the ITA Fall Circuit with the Cyclones duo of Ting-Pei Chang and Maty Cancini earning spots in the semifinals portion of the singles tournament.
The Jayhawks and the Cyclones each had one player who ranked inside the ITA Top 125 Singles Poll in the spring, as Kansas' Sonia Smagina (No.78) and Iowa State's Thasaporn Naklo (No. 119) finished out the 2020 spring season among the nation's best.
"KU and Iowa State will have good teams this season, so it will be a great chance to see how we fare with our peers in the Big 12," said Smith.
The 2020 fall schedule will be highlighted by three tournaments that will be located at conference-affiliated locations. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) events have been cancelled for the fall portion of the season.
After finishing up at the Kansas Invitational, K-State will prepare for its first home tournament since 2013 by hosting the K-State Fall Invite on Friday, October 30 through Sunday, November 1.
For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or Kansas State Tennis on Facebook.
This will be the first of three fall tournaments for the Wildcats.
The Kansas Invitational will feature two rounds of doubles play and one singles match between the three programs over the course of each day. Friday's matches start at 10:30 a.m., CT, while Saturday and Sunday will start at 10 a.m. CT, each day.
The Wildcats, who have not played since a March 4 win over Nebraska, will look to jump start their 2020-21 campaign this weekend with a tough slate of Big 12 foes. Iowa State and Kansas both kicked off the season at the ITA Fall Circuit in Lawrence, Kansas on September 20.
K-State head coach Jordan Smith enters his third season, looking to build upon his team's late season surge in the spring after grabbing three victories in the latter part of non-conference play. The Wildcats finished off the 2020 spring slate with an 8-4 mark, which boosted Smith's career record to 21-15.
"Our team should be pumped about playing a tournament this weekend," said Smith. "It has been a long time coming and we have to make the most of the opportunity. Last week, we did a great job of competing against each other during our Purple vs. White match. A lot of credit to our team for digging deep and fighting on Saturday. It's never easy to play hard against your teammate. Therefore, all the ladies should be able to show more grit against the other teams."
The Wildcats return seven letterwinners from the 2020 season with the top portion of the lineup remaining intact, as senior Margot Decker (8-4) and juniors Maria Linares (8-3) and Anna Turco (6-4) combined for 22 wins throughout the No. 1-3 spots last spring.
Juniors Ioana Gheorghita, Karine-Marion Job and Rosanna Maffei also return for K-State this season after posting efficient outings during both the fall and spring play. Job (6-1) and Maffei (6-3) each claimed six singles victories in the spring, primarily in the 4-6 positions in the lineup.
Maffei won an individual title during the 2019 fall campaign, earning the Flight A title at the Marliss Gruver Fall Invitational last fall in Auburn, Alabama. The Atripalda, Italy native produced four-straight upsets in her bracket to claim the championship on September 22, 2019.
K-State performed well during its fall outings last year, as the group made its mark in each of its five tournaments.
Besides Maffei's triumphant victory at the Marliss Gruver Invitational, Linares, Decker and Turco all found their stride at the ITA All-American Championship from October 7-11. Singles play was a key aspect of Linares' successful fall campaign, as the Maracay, Venezuela native captured three victories at the fall championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, advancing all the way to the Qualifying Round.
Turco and Decker, who predominately competed out of the No. 1 slot in doubles play, made history by becoming one of two pairings in school history to compete in the Qualifying Round of the ITA All-American Championship.
In addition to their successes at the ITA All-American Championship, the Wildcats also found success in the ITA Central Regional Tournament from October 17-22, as the team posted 13 victories in singles competition.
Senior Lilla Barzo is another returner for the Wildcats who registered a 1-3 record in singles play during the spring after not competing in the fall. Freshman Manami Ukita is the only newcomer to the squad and brings solid experience playing on the ITF Tour after the Saitama, Japan native reached as high as No. 147 in the World Junior Rankings.
Kansas brings a ton of fire power to the courts this weekend after several notable performance at the ITA Fall Circuit Championship back on September 20. Junior Tiffany Lagarde captured the individual title with three-straight victories, while teammate Malkia Ngounoue advanced to the semifinals portion.
Iowa State also competed well at the ITA Fall Circuit with the Cyclones duo of Ting-Pei Chang and Maty Cancini earning spots in the semifinals portion of the singles tournament.
The Jayhawks and the Cyclones each had one player who ranked inside the ITA Top 125 Singles Poll in the spring, as Kansas' Sonia Smagina (No.78) and Iowa State's Thasaporn Naklo (No. 119) finished out the 2020 spring season among the nation's best.
"KU and Iowa State will have good teams this season, so it will be a great chance to see how we fare with our peers in the Big 12," said Smith.
The 2020 fall schedule will be highlighted by three tournaments that will be located at conference-affiliated locations. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) events have been cancelled for the fall portion of the season.
After finishing up at the Kansas Invitational, K-State will prepare for its first home tournament since 2013 by hosting the K-State Fall Invite on Friday, October 30 through Sunday, November 1.
For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or Kansas State Tennis on Facebook.
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