K-State Opens Dual-Match Play at Arkansas on Sunday

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State women's tennis team will look to keep its momentum going on Sunday, as the Wildcats open dual-match play against the Arkansas Razorbacks at the Billingsley Tennis Center.

The match will start at 1 p.m. CT, on Sunday afternoon and will feature a limited threshold on seating, as home officials at the Billingsley Tennis Center will host fans and spectators on a first come, first serve basis.

"Our mindset is the same for any team," said head coach Jordan Smith. "We're excited for our opportunity to compete and play tennis. Arkansas has a good team and they closed out a good win against SMU. We have a very good team here, so I expect this first match to be a great contest."

"Obviously, it was unfortunate that we had to postpone our match last week against Texas Tech. I understand their position and want to always ensure the safety of our student-athletes. The extra time between matches allowed us to push the ladies more on the court or in the weight room. Now it's time for our players to regain and maintain their competitive edge, which will help them succeed this season."

Since returning to action on October 2, K-State has collected 51 total victories in four tournaments. Those 51 wins are the most for the 'Cats entering dual-match play since the 2012-13 season, when the team had 54 victories.

The Wildcats have recorded three-straight wins in season openers dating back to the 2017-18 season, as the team blitzed Kansas City twice with a score of 7-0 and conquered Penn State in 2020 with a 5-0 win. This will also be the first time since 2017-18 that K-State will open its spring campaign on the road.

Sophomore Rosanna Maffei (9-2) and freshman Manami Ukita (11-3) are two of the biggest reasons the team is off to a fast start in singles play through four tournaments in 2020-21. Ukita, who is the lone newcomer on an experienced K-State tennis squad, reached double-digit victories at the Big 12/Pac-12 Dual after she knocked off opponents from Kansas and Utah.

K-State was recently recognized for its efforts in doubles play by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), as junior Maria Linares and sophomore Karine-Marion Job climbed their way into the Top 60 Preseason National Doubles Poll at the No. 46 position. The last time a K-State duo landed in the ITA Top-60 poll came from junior Anna Turco and senior Margot Decker, who sat as high as the No. 54 spot during the 2019-20 campaign.

Job and Linares have piled on victories this season with a 11-2 mark thus far in 2020-21. Since the Fall 2019 season, the duo has diced up the competition for 17 wins.

Smith enters his third season with the 'Cats and will look to build upon his team's late season surge in 2020 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 improved Smith's career record to 21-15.

One of those Big Ten wins came against Nebraska on March 4, 2020, which was the last time K-State competed in a dual match.

A plethora of K-State's success in singles competition last spring came from the group of Linares, Turco, Job and Decker at the No. 1-4 spots. Those four led the way last year to combine for nearly 30 victories during the 2020 season. Career wise, the trio of Linares, Decker and Turco have posted over 140 wins together as Wildcats.

The Razorbacks – who currently have three players ranked inside the ITA National Poll for either singles or doubles play – opened their season with a 5-2 victory over SMU on Sunday. Arkansas' Martina Zerulo owns the No. 110 spot in the ITA National Top 125 Singles rankings and boasts a 4-1 record in 2020-21. The pairing of Lauren Alter and Tatum Rice showed why they both hold the No. 28 position in the ITA National Doubles poll this past weekend against the Mustangs, as the duo pulled off a key victory in doubles play to help the Razorbacks capture a pivotal point in the win.

After completing their stay in Fayetteville this weekend, the Wildcats will prepare for a Pac-12 showdown with Arizona State on Sunday, February 7, in Tempe, Arizona.

"It's been 10 months since we've officially played as a team, but every team out there is going through the same thing," said Smith. "Our job as coaches is to help our ladies get in their groove as quickly as possible on Sunday."

For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or Kansas State Tennis on Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

Margot Decker

Karine-Marion Job

Maria Linares

Rosanna Maffei

Anna Turco

Manami Ukita

Kansas State University Athletics