Wildcats March into Texas for Showdowns with Texas Tech, TCU

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The No. 43 Kansas State women's tennis team will open Big 12 play this weekend with a trip to the Lone Star State to take on No. 33 Texas Tech on Friday, March 12 and No. 49 TCU on Sunday, March 14.

Friday's match with the Lady Raiders will begin at 3 p.m., CT. The first serve in Sunday's showdown with the Horned Frogs will take place at 1 p.m., CT. Both matches this weekend will have a limited capacity on fans and spectators based on COVID-19 procedures and guidelines.

This will be the first time since the 2019 spring season that K-State will take on a conference opponent during a dual match scenario. Two years ago, the Wildcats posted a 2-7 mark in conference play with wins over West Virginia and Iowa State.

There is a different energy inside the K-State locker room these days, and the Wildcats (4-2) have something to show for it after producing four-straight wins at home against a bevy of non-conference foes. Over the four-match stretch, K-State only allowed three points, beginning with the home opener against Drake on February 12 and continued with wins over Denver (4-2), Wichita State (4-1) and Arizona (4-0).

"I was proud of how well we did in our four home matches last month," said head coach Jordan Smith. "I thought the ladies got better and more confident in their abilities each match. Hopefully that time playing at home created more belief in themselves and in their teammates. We just need to continue being great as a unit and we can be successful."

An awakening has occurred at the No. 4-6 spots in the singles lineup, helping K-State find its groove over the course of four victories inside Body First Tennis Center.

Senior Lilla Barzo, junior Anna Turco and freshman Manami Ukita highlighted a successful home stretch in February for the Wildcats. All three players dispatched their opponents in the latter half of the lineup to post a 9-0 mark during the four-match win streak.

The momentum continued from the No. 1 position for K-State, with sophomore Karine-Marion Job taking three points into her own hands at the top of the order. With a newfound confidence, Job has cruised to three-straight wins of her own to improve to 3-2 in 2021.

Those victories dispersed throughout the lineup have K-State on a roll for singles' competition. The Wildcats have registered 69 victories for 2020-21 in singles play, which can also be credited to the play of Ukita, who has put together 14 wins in her freshman campaign.

In doubles competition, the Wildcats have bolstered their lineup with Barzo and Ukita taking the reins in the No. 3 position and recording four victories of their own since the 2021 home opener.

Another duo who has held their own on court one through six matches, Job and junior teammate Maria Linares have taken on multiple ITA ranked doubles pairings this season at the No. 1 doubles spot, coming away with a key victory in the showdown with Denver's No. 36 pairing on February 13.

"Doubles success will always be fundamental and key for us," said Smith. "Winning the doubles point helps us establish that early lead in the match. Which is probably even more important in conference play than it is early in the season. It takes some pressure off our singles players. We're finding our swings in doubles now and I expect more complete matches from us moving forward."

K-State will begin its Big 12 schedule with two ranked opponents this week, as Texas Tech and TCU currently hold spots in the ITA Top 50 National Team Rankings. The Red Raiders own the No. 33 position in the poll, with TCU just behind K-State at No. 49 in the national rankings.

Both opponents will showcase elite talent at the top of the singles lineup with TCU's Alisa Soloveva (No. 75) and Texas Tech's Kaitlin Staines (No. 100) holding spots in the ITA Top 125 Singles poll.

The Wildcats' next scheduled match will take place on March 21 in Lawrence, Kansas against in-state rival Kansas for another edition of the Sunflower Showdown.
For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or Kansas State Tennis on Facebook.

Wildcats March into Texas for Showdowns with Texas Tech, TCU

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Players Mentioned

Karine-Marion Job

Maria Linares

Anna Turco

Manami Ukita

Kansas State University Athletics