K-State Powers Past Wichita State, 4-1, with Strong Showing in Singles Play

MANHATTAN, Kan. – An early deficit could not slow down the Kansas State women's tennis team from converting four-straight wins in singles play, as the Wildcats ran their winning streak to three matches with a 4-1 victory over Wichita State on Friday (February 19) afternoon at Body First Tennis Center.

"We were spending too much time playing not to lose instead of playing to win," said head coach Jordan Smith. "There is a big difference. By playing not to lose, you start hoping and not swinging through it. When you play to win, what you worked on in practice, what you are capable of, that is your only mindset. We did that in singles."

After dropping the doubles' point to the Shockers, including a dramatic 7-5 setback in a matchup of nationally-ranked pairs at the No. 1 position, the Wildcats (3-2) quickly regained the momentum with straight-set wins at the No. 2, 4, 6, and 5 positions to clinch the victory and even the all-time series at 25 wins each.

Freshman Manami Ukita earned K-State's first point of the day with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Wichita State's Jin Xie Zheng at the No. 4 spot to run her record in singles play to 14-4 overall and 3-1 in the spring. Juniors Maria Linares and Anna Turco followed with wins at the No. 2 and No. 6 positions, as Linares swept Mara Bellucco, 6-4, 6-0 and Turco earned a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Alexandra Lazarova.

The decisive point in the match came from senior Lilla Barzo at the No. 5 spot, as she dispatched Wichita State's Ting-Ya Hsu, 6-1, 6-0, to clinch the victory for the Wildcats.

Two singles' matches went unfinished, as sophomore Karine-Marion Job led Sarvinoz Saidhujaeva, 6-1, 5-5 in the second set at the No. 1 position, while redshirt sophomore Rosanna Maffei held a 6-4, 1-1 advantage over Natsumi Kurahashi in the second set at the No. 3 spot.

The Shockers delivered an early blow in doubles play, as Wichita State's No. 23 ranked pairing of Sarvinoz Saidhujaeva and Marta Bellucco knocked off Karine-Marion Job and Linares, who rank No. 46 in the nation, with a set score of 7-5 to clinch an early 1-0 lead in the match.

This came after the Shockers' duo of Ting-Ya Hsu and Jie Xin Zheng clipped the Wildcats' Margot Decker and Ioana Gheorghita, 6-4, at the No. 2 position.

A highlight from the doubles portion of the match came from Barzo and Ukita, who improved to 3-0 together in the No. 3 position with a 6-3 set victory over the Shockers' Alexandra Lazarova and Natsumi Kurahashi.

"I think the chemistry has been a major thing," Smith said on Barzo and Ukita's all-around success on the court. "With what they have been doing off the court, it isn't a big deal. Today was probably the lowest in quality for their play. But when you have a swagger about you, you still pull out victories, which is what those two did."

The Wildcats will finish out their homestand inside Body First Tennis Center on Sunday, February 21 with a Pac-12 showdown against Arizona at 10 a.m., CT. Last season, the Wildcats overcame Arizona on the road with a 4-3 victory in Tucson, Arizona.

"Obviously, Arizona doesn't play too much indoors," Smith stated. "I like our advantage there. I think they are going to play with a little more passion than normal, since we snuck out a win last year on their home court. I am not to worried about our win-loss record. If we play to win, like we need to, then I am pretty confident in our chances."

K-State vs. Wichita State
February 19, 2021
Body First Tennis Center

Doubles Play
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
No. 1. #23 Sarvinoz Saidhujaeva/Marta Bellucco (WSU) def. #46 Karine-Marion Job/Maria Linares (KSU) 7-5
No. 2. Ting-Ya Hsu/Jie Xin Zheng (WSU) def. Margot Decker/Ioana Gheorghita (KSU) 6-4
No. 3. Lilla Barzo/Manami Ukita (KSU) def. Alexandra Lazarova/Natsumi Kurahashi (WSU) 6-3

Singles Play:
Order of Finish: 4, 2, 6, 5
No. 1. Karine-Marion Job (KSU) vs. Sarvinoz Saidhujaeva (WSU) 6-1, 5-5, unfinished
No. 2. Maria Linares (KSU) def. Marta Bellucco (WSU) 6-4, 6-0
No. 3. Rosanna Maffei (KSU) vs. Natsumi Kurahashi (WSU) 6-4, 1-1, unfinished
No. 4. Manami Ukita (KSU) def. Jie Xin Zheng (WSU) 6-2, 6-1
No. 5. Lilla Barzo (KSU) def. Ting-Ya Hsu (WSU) 6-1, 6-0
No. 6. Anna Turco (KSU) def. Alexandra Lazarova (WSU) 6-1, 6-3

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

K-State Powers Past Wichita State, 4-1, with Strong Showing in Singles Play

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Players Mentioned

Margot Decker

Ioana Gheorghita

Karine-Marion Job

Maria Linares

Rosanna Maffei

Anna Turco

Manami Ukita