Kansas State University Athletics
Monday, January 11
Kansas State University
vs
Big 12/Pac-12 Dual
Women’s Tennis Opens 2021 Season with Three-Match Slate in Arlington Starting Monday
Jan 10, 2021 | Tennis
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Following a quality fall season, the Kansas State women's tennis team will serve their way into the 2021 campaign with three matches running Monday, January 11 through Wednesday, January 13. K-State will go head-to-head with Kansas, Texas Tech and Utah over the three-day stint at a neutral site in Arlington, Texas.
"It's good that we're slated to participate in this tournament," said head coach Jordan Smith. "I think we had a lot of quality practices this fall and we're extremely fortunate to compete as well. I thought it would be better for us to jump into competition as soon as possible this spring. These three days will help us not only get back our match toughness, but also help with playing as a team."
Smith, who enters his third season with the 'Cats, will look to build upon his team's late season surge last spring after grabbing three victories in the latter part of non-conference play. The Wildcats finished off the 2020 spring slate at 8-4 – including a 3-1 mark against Big Ten foes - which boosted Smith's career record to 21-15.
With seven letterwinners remaining from the 2019-20 team, K-State looks to get back into the NCAA Tournament conversation as the group brings a ton of experience to the court while the addition of newcomer Manami Ukita creates a balanced play style in singles competition. Ukita, a native of Saitama, Japan, performed well in her first fall season as a Wildcat, as she collected nine victories in singles play over three tournaments.
For the rest of K-State's roster, a trio of juniors, which includes Maria Linares, Anna Turco, and Karine-Marion Job, as well as senior Margot Decker, shepherd a ton of firepower to the team's No. 1-4 spots in the singles lineup.
Last year, Linares (8-3), Decker (8-4), Turco (6-4) and Job (6-1) combined for nearly 30 victories on the season. The trio of Linares, Decker and Turco have all recorded over 140 victories together for their careers.
Doubles play has been a success for nearly a year and half for the pairing of Job and Linares, who have accumulated a 15-4 record since the Fall 2019 season. Sitting at the No. 1 spot last spring, both Linares and Job held a 6-1 mark in top spot for dual-match play.
The Wildcats performed well early and often during the 2020 fall campaign, as the group scorched their way to 13 singles wins at both the Kansas Invitational and the K-State Fall Invite. The 13 victories in singles competition at the K-State Fall Invite set a new home tournament record for the Wildcats at the Mike Goss Tennis Stadium.
Scouting the competition, K-State faces off with Kansas, Texas Tech and Utah in Arlington, Texas, this week. The Jayhawks (7-4) and the Utes (10-5) each posted winning records last season.
This week's matchups feature two opponents who ranked inside the top 50 for the ITA National Singles rankings last March, as the Jayhawks' Sonia Smagina (No. 78) and Texas Tech's Margarita Skriabina (No. 114) both will be tough outings next week for the Wildcats in singles competition.
After finishing up in Arlington, Texas, the Wildcats will revisit the Red Raiders at another neutral location, as both teams will compete on Thursday, January 21 in Norman, Oklahoma.
"The fall is always more individual minded for us," said Smith. "The spring gets us back in our team rhythm and I'm excited to see how we do with this."
For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or Kansas State Tennis on Facebook.
"It's good that we're slated to participate in this tournament," said head coach Jordan Smith. "I think we had a lot of quality practices this fall and we're extremely fortunate to compete as well. I thought it would be better for us to jump into competition as soon as possible this spring. These three days will help us not only get back our match toughness, but also help with playing as a team."
Smith, who enters his third season with the 'Cats, will look to build upon his team's late season surge last spring after grabbing three victories in the latter part of non-conference play. The Wildcats finished off the 2020 spring slate at 8-4 – including a 3-1 mark against Big Ten foes - which boosted Smith's career record to 21-15.
With seven letterwinners remaining from the 2019-20 team, K-State looks to get back into the NCAA Tournament conversation as the group brings a ton of experience to the court while the addition of newcomer Manami Ukita creates a balanced play style in singles competition. Ukita, a native of Saitama, Japan, performed well in her first fall season as a Wildcat, as she collected nine victories in singles play over three tournaments.
For the rest of K-State's roster, a trio of juniors, which includes Maria Linares, Anna Turco, and Karine-Marion Job, as well as senior Margot Decker, shepherd a ton of firepower to the team's No. 1-4 spots in the singles lineup.
Last year, Linares (8-3), Decker (8-4), Turco (6-4) and Job (6-1) combined for nearly 30 victories on the season. The trio of Linares, Decker and Turco have all recorded over 140 victories together for their careers.
Doubles play has been a success for nearly a year and half for the pairing of Job and Linares, who have accumulated a 15-4 record since the Fall 2019 season. Sitting at the No. 1 spot last spring, both Linares and Job held a 6-1 mark in top spot for dual-match play.
The Wildcats performed well early and often during the 2020 fall campaign, as the group scorched their way to 13 singles wins at both the Kansas Invitational and the K-State Fall Invite. The 13 victories in singles competition at the K-State Fall Invite set a new home tournament record for the Wildcats at the Mike Goss Tennis Stadium.
Scouting the competition, K-State faces off with Kansas, Texas Tech and Utah in Arlington, Texas, this week. The Jayhawks (7-4) and the Utes (10-5) each posted winning records last season.
This week's matchups feature two opponents who ranked inside the top 50 for the ITA National Singles rankings last March, as the Jayhawks' Sonia Smagina (No. 78) and Texas Tech's Margarita Skriabina (No. 114) both will be tough outings next week for the Wildcats in singles competition.
After finishing up in Arlington, Texas, the Wildcats will revisit the Red Raiders at another neutral location, as both teams will compete on Thursday, January 21 in Norman, Oklahoma.
"The fall is always more individual minded for us," said Smith. "The spring gets us back in our team rhythm and I'm excited to see how we do with this."
For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or Kansas State Tennis on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
K-State Tennis Practice highlights
Tuesday, September 02
Sana Garakani Senior Day Video
Thursday, April 24
K-State Tennis | Senior Thank Yous - Veronika Kulhava
Monday, April 21
Veronika Kulhuva Senior Video
Friday, April 18