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K-State Drops Heartbreaker Late in Singles Play at Iowa, 4-3
Feb 23, 2020 | Tennis
IOWA CITY, Iowa – In a wire-to-wire finish from the No. 2 spot, junior Anna Turco fought off a fury of comebacks from Iowa's Samantha Mannix before dropping a third-set tiebreaker, leading to the Hawkeyes' fourth and final point of the day in a 4-3 loss at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex.
"We weren't able to get the final push we needed in singles today," said Head Coach Jordan Smith. "We had two team match points to escape with a win. Iowa just outplayed us in singles today. We got off to a good start in doubles, winning another doubles point. Even though we had the early lead, we didn't settle into our singles as well as I would have hoped. As soon as we start taking control of matches and not hoping we're given points, then we're going to be an even better team."
Turco, who trailed after the first set in the No. 2 spot, put on a clinic in the second set that enabled her to bring the match to a winner take all moment with the team score tied 3-3. Getting ahead 5-4 in the final set, Mannix captured three of the next four games to hold off Turco and obtain the deciding point in the match.
Leading up to the dramatic conclusion, senior Ines Mesquita and junior Margot Decker were defeated in three sets during the No. 3 and 6 matchups. Mesquita fought her way back to a third set in the No. 6 spot but ended her match with a 7-5 loss in the final set to the Hawkeyes' Danielle Burich. Attempting to get back into the win column after slipping up in yesterday's match to DePaul, Decker faltered away the last two sets of her match to drop her second match of the weekend in the No. 3 position, 7-5, 1-6, 3-6, to Iowa's Michelle Bacalla.
Shifting the lineup for the bottom half of singles play, K-State saw another impressive outing from sophomore Karine-Marion Job, who earned her first win at the No. 4 slot with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Iowa's Ashleigh Jacobs. Job has now compiled a 4-1 record in dual-match singles play.
Sophomore Rosanna Maffei posted another victory in the second tier of the lineup as she ran by the Hawkeyes' Danielle Bauers in two sets, 6-2, 6-3. Maffei improved her mark in singles play to 6-2.
The Wildcats got off to a 1-0 lead due in part to the pairing of Job and junior Maria Linares, who controlled their set from the No. 1 spot with a 6-4 set victory. The other win came from Decker and Turco in the No. 2 position as both players recorded a 6-4 set win to help claim the doubles point.
K-State moves to 6-4 on the year with a 1-1 mark against Big 10 opponents. The Wildcats are now 1-1 for dual match play when the score is tied 3-3 heading into the final matchup of singles play.
Finishing up their stay in Iowa City, Iowa this weekend, the Wildcats now begin a stretch of six-straight home matches with SMU on Friday, February 28. The first serve will take place at 11 a.m. CT.
"Hopefully, we can show it this Friday against SMU," said Smith.
For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or Kansas State Tennis on Facebook.
Kansas State vs. Iowa
February 23, 2020
Hawkeye Tennis Complex
Doubles Play
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
No. 1. Linares/Job (KSU) def. Bacalla/Jacobs (IOWA) 6-4
No. 2. Decker Turco (KSU) def. Heuvelen/Bauers (IOWA) 6-4
No. 3. Mannix/Burich (IOWA) def. Mesquitea/Gheorghita (KSU) 6-1
Singles Play:
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 5, 3, 6, 2
No. 1. Elise Van Heuvelen (IOWA) def. Maria Linares (KSU) 6-3, 6-0
No. 2. Samantha Mannix (IOWA) def. Anna Turco (KSU) 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 [7-4]
No. 3. Michelle Bacalla (IOWA) def. Margot Decker (KSU) 5-7, 6-1, 6-3
No. 4. Karine-Marion Job (KSU) def. Ashleigh Jacobs (IOWA) 6-2, 7-5
No. 5. Rosanna Maffei (KSU) def. Danielle Bauers (IOWA) 6-2, 6-3
No. 6. Danielle Burich (IOWA) def. Ines Mesquita (KSU) 6-2, 2-6, 7-5
"We weren't able to get the final push we needed in singles today," said Head Coach Jordan Smith. "We had two team match points to escape with a win. Iowa just outplayed us in singles today. We got off to a good start in doubles, winning another doubles point. Even though we had the early lead, we didn't settle into our singles as well as I would have hoped. As soon as we start taking control of matches and not hoping we're given points, then we're going to be an even better team."
Turco, who trailed after the first set in the No. 2 spot, put on a clinic in the second set that enabled her to bring the match to a winner take all moment with the team score tied 3-3. Getting ahead 5-4 in the final set, Mannix captured three of the next four games to hold off Turco and obtain the deciding point in the match.
Leading up to the dramatic conclusion, senior Ines Mesquita and junior Margot Decker were defeated in three sets during the No. 3 and 6 matchups. Mesquita fought her way back to a third set in the No. 6 spot but ended her match with a 7-5 loss in the final set to the Hawkeyes' Danielle Burich. Attempting to get back into the win column after slipping up in yesterday's match to DePaul, Decker faltered away the last two sets of her match to drop her second match of the weekend in the No. 3 position, 7-5, 1-6, 3-6, to Iowa's Michelle Bacalla.
Shifting the lineup for the bottom half of singles play, K-State saw another impressive outing from sophomore Karine-Marion Job, who earned her first win at the No. 4 slot with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Iowa's Ashleigh Jacobs. Job has now compiled a 4-1 record in dual-match singles play.
Sophomore Rosanna Maffei posted another victory in the second tier of the lineup as she ran by the Hawkeyes' Danielle Bauers in two sets, 6-2, 6-3. Maffei improved her mark in singles play to 6-2.
The Wildcats got off to a 1-0 lead due in part to the pairing of Job and junior Maria Linares, who controlled their set from the No. 1 spot with a 6-4 set victory. The other win came from Decker and Turco in the No. 2 position as both players recorded a 6-4 set win to help claim the doubles point.
K-State moves to 6-4 on the year with a 1-1 mark against Big 10 opponents. The Wildcats are now 1-1 for dual match play when the score is tied 3-3 heading into the final matchup of singles play.
Finishing up their stay in Iowa City, Iowa this weekend, the Wildcats now begin a stretch of six-straight home matches with SMU on Friday, February 28. The first serve will take place at 11 a.m. CT.
"Hopefully, we can show it this Friday against SMU," said Smith.
For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or Kansas State Tennis on Facebook.
Kansas State vs. Iowa
February 23, 2020
Hawkeye Tennis Complex
Doubles Play
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
No. 1. Linares/Job (KSU) def. Bacalla/Jacobs (IOWA) 6-4
No. 2. Decker Turco (KSU) def. Heuvelen/Bauers (IOWA) 6-4
No. 3. Mannix/Burich (IOWA) def. Mesquitea/Gheorghita (KSU) 6-1
Singles Play:
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 5, 3, 6, 2
No. 1. Elise Van Heuvelen (IOWA) def. Maria Linares (KSU) 6-3, 6-0
No. 2. Samantha Mannix (IOWA) def. Anna Turco (KSU) 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 [7-4]
No. 3. Michelle Bacalla (IOWA) def. Margot Decker (KSU) 5-7, 6-1, 6-3
No. 4. Karine-Marion Job (KSU) def. Ashleigh Jacobs (IOWA) 6-2, 7-5
No. 5. Rosanna Maffei (KSU) def. Danielle Bauers (IOWA) 6-2, 6-3
No. 6. Danielle Burich (IOWA) def. Ines Mesquita (KSU) 6-2, 2-6, 7-5
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