Kansas State University Athletics
Wednesday, March 31
Tulsa, OK
2:00 PM
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K-State Slips in Final Road Contest at No. 49 Tulsa, 4-3
Mar 31, 2021 | Tennis
TULSA, Okla. – The Kansas State women's tennis team rallied back to force a match-deciding point in the final stages of singles play but slipped in its final matchup, resulting in a 4-3 defeat to No. 49 Tulsa on Wednesday (March 31) afternoon at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
"We came up short again," said head coach Jordan Smith. "Ultimately, it came down to a missed opportunity by letting the doubles' point slip. We had some leads and didn't close the way we practiced. We responded well in singles."
K-State (6-7, 1-3 Big 12) was unable to take advantage of its early momentum in doubles' play, as the Wildcats ended up dropping both sets at the No. 1 and 3 positions, handing Tulsa (10-4) a 1-0 advantage.
The tandem of senior Lilla Barzo and freshman Manami Ukita posted a 6-0 sweep over the Golden Hurricane's Shura Poppe and Valeryia Rozenkova on court two to start the doubles' competition. Barzo and Ukita are now 7-0 on the season when paired together.
Battling through tough volleys from Tulsa's Megan Hopton and Laie Conde Monfort, sophomores Rosanna Maffei and Ioana Gheorghita sputtered late in their set to fall 6-3 on court three.
Going up against No. 26-ranked doubles' tandem on court one, sophomore Karine-Marion Job and junior Maria Linares battled but dropped a tight 6-4 set to Tulsa's Martina Okalova and Vera Ploner, which then allowed the Golden Hurricane to take the doubles' point and a 1-0 lead. The Tulsa duo is now an impressive 12-1 on the season.
Attempting to turn the momentum in singles play, Job was handed the chore of battling Tulsa's ace – Martina Okalova – who ranks No. 81 in the ITA National Singles poll. The matchup fell in Okalova's favor early, and Job could not regain the momentum, as the Lyon, France, native faltered on court one in a score of 2-6, 4-6.
Job's counterpart in doubles play – junior Maria Linares – was able to get to get K-State on board at the No. 2 position, as she powered past Tulsa's Laia Conde Monfort in two sets, 6-2, 6-3.
"Maria (Linares) made some quick work and helped gain the momentum," Smith stated.
After a 7-5, 6-3 win by Tulsa's Vera Ploner over Manami Ukita at the No. 4 spot gave the Golden Hurricane a 3-1 advantage, K-State was able to battle back to tie the score at 3-all with wins by Gheorghita and Maffei at the No. 6 and 3 singles' positions.
The No. 6 position has seen a boost as of late with Gheorghita's play, as the sophomore quickly found her rhythm in the third set against the Golden Hurricane's Lain Benedejcic, earning a 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 win, which improves her dual-match record to 3-1 in 2021.
Maffei needed three sets to dispatch Tulsa's Shura Poppe, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, which gave the Wildcats a crucial point heading into the final matchup of the afternoon.
"Rosy (Rosanna Maffei) and Ioana (Gheorghita) battled back and got us back even," said Smith. "Unfortunately, it was not enough."
In a winner-take-all scenario, Barzo fired back-and forth with Tulsa's Valeryia Rozenkova, which turned into two-set tiebreakers that favored Rozenkova, as she earned a 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 win at the No. 5 position to stave off the late comeback from K-State.
With the final road trip complete, K-State will now begin its last homestand of the 2021 campaign, as the Wildcats face off against No. 44 Kansas (7-7, 1-2 Big 12) in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown on Saturday, April 3 at the Mike Goss Tennis Stadium. This will be the second match of the season against the Jayhawks, who won the first installment against K-State in Lawrence, Kansas by a score of 4-1.
K-State at No. 49 Tulsa
March 31, 2021
Case Tennis Center
Doubles Play
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1
No. 1. #26 Martina Okalova/Vera Ploner (TULSA) def. Karine-Marion Job/Maria Linares (KSU) 6-4
No. 2. Lilla Barzo/Manami Ukita (KSU) def. Shura Poppe/Valeryia Rozenkova (TULSA) 6-0
No. 3. Megan Hopton/Laia Conde Monfort (TULSA) def. Ioana Gheorghita/Rosanna Maffei (KSU) 6-3
Singles Play:
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 4, 6, 3, 5
No. 1. #81 Martina Okalova (TULSA) def. Karine-Marion Job (KSU) 6-2, 6-4
No. 2. Maria Linares (KSU) def. Laia Conde Monfort (TULSA) 6-2, 6-3
No. 3. Rosanna Maffei (KSU) def. Shura Poppe (TULSA) 6-1, 4-6, 6-1
No. 4. Vera Ploner (TULSA) def. Manami Ukita (KSU) 7-5, 6-3
No. 5. Valeryia Rozenkova (TULSA) def. Lilla Barzo (KSU) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5
No. 6. Ioana Gheorghita (KSU) def. Lian Benedejcic (TULSA) 6-2, 2-6, 6-2
For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or K-State Women's Tennis on Facebook.
"We came up short again," said head coach Jordan Smith. "Ultimately, it came down to a missed opportunity by letting the doubles' point slip. We had some leads and didn't close the way we practiced. We responded well in singles."
K-State (6-7, 1-3 Big 12) was unable to take advantage of its early momentum in doubles' play, as the Wildcats ended up dropping both sets at the No. 1 and 3 positions, handing Tulsa (10-4) a 1-0 advantage.
The tandem of senior Lilla Barzo and freshman Manami Ukita posted a 6-0 sweep over the Golden Hurricane's Shura Poppe and Valeryia Rozenkova on court two to start the doubles' competition. Barzo and Ukita are now 7-0 on the season when paired together.
Battling through tough volleys from Tulsa's Megan Hopton and Laie Conde Monfort, sophomores Rosanna Maffei and Ioana Gheorghita sputtered late in their set to fall 6-3 on court three.
Going up against No. 26-ranked doubles' tandem on court one, sophomore Karine-Marion Job and junior Maria Linares battled but dropped a tight 6-4 set to Tulsa's Martina Okalova and Vera Ploner, which then allowed the Golden Hurricane to take the doubles' point and a 1-0 lead. The Tulsa duo is now an impressive 12-1 on the season.
Attempting to turn the momentum in singles play, Job was handed the chore of battling Tulsa's ace – Martina Okalova – who ranks No. 81 in the ITA National Singles poll. The matchup fell in Okalova's favor early, and Job could not regain the momentum, as the Lyon, France, native faltered on court one in a score of 2-6, 4-6.
Job's counterpart in doubles play – junior Maria Linares – was able to get to get K-State on board at the No. 2 position, as she powered past Tulsa's Laia Conde Monfort in two sets, 6-2, 6-3.
"Maria (Linares) made some quick work and helped gain the momentum," Smith stated.
After a 7-5, 6-3 win by Tulsa's Vera Ploner over Manami Ukita at the No. 4 spot gave the Golden Hurricane a 3-1 advantage, K-State was able to battle back to tie the score at 3-all with wins by Gheorghita and Maffei at the No. 6 and 3 singles' positions.
The No. 6 position has seen a boost as of late with Gheorghita's play, as the sophomore quickly found her rhythm in the third set against the Golden Hurricane's Lain Benedejcic, earning a 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 win, which improves her dual-match record to 3-1 in 2021.
Maffei needed three sets to dispatch Tulsa's Shura Poppe, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, which gave the Wildcats a crucial point heading into the final matchup of the afternoon.
"Rosy (Rosanna Maffei) and Ioana (Gheorghita) battled back and got us back even," said Smith. "Unfortunately, it was not enough."
In a winner-take-all scenario, Barzo fired back-and forth with Tulsa's Valeryia Rozenkova, which turned into two-set tiebreakers that favored Rozenkova, as she earned a 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 win at the No. 5 position to stave off the late comeback from K-State.
With the final road trip complete, K-State will now begin its last homestand of the 2021 campaign, as the Wildcats face off against No. 44 Kansas (7-7, 1-2 Big 12) in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown on Saturday, April 3 at the Mike Goss Tennis Stadium. This will be the second match of the season against the Jayhawks, who won the first installment against K-State in Lawrence, Kansas by a score of 4-1.
K-State at No. 49 Tulsa
March 31, 2021
Case Tennis Center
Doubles Play
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1
No. 1. #26 Martina Okalova/Vera Ploner (TULSA) def. Karine-Marion Job/Maria Linares (KSU) 6-4
No. 2. Lilla Barzo/Manami Ukita (KSU) def. Shura Poppe/Valeryia Rozenkova (TULSA) 6-0
No. 3. Megan Hopton/Laia Conde Monfort (TULSA) def. Ioana Gheorghita/Rosanna Maffei (KSU) 6-3
Singles Play:
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 4, 6, 3, 5
No. 1. #81 Martina Okalova (TULSA) def. Karine-Marion Job (KSU) 6-2, 6-4
No. 2. Maria Linares (KSU) def. Laia Conde Monfort (TULSA) 6-2, 6-3
No. 3. Rosanna Maffei (KSU) def. Shura Poppe (TULSA) 6-1, 4-6, 6-1
No. 4. Vera Ploner (TULSA) def. Manami Ukita (KSU) 7-5, 6-3
No. 5. Valeryia Rozenkova (TULSA) def. Lilla Barzo (KSU) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5
No. 6. Ioana Gheorghita (KSU) def. Lian Benedejcic (TULSA) 6-2, 2-6, 6-2
For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or K-State Women's Tennis on Facebook.
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