No. 10 Baylor Hands K-State First Home Loss of 2021

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State women's tennis team competed admirably against No. 10 Baylor, but the Bears pulled away in singles play to hand the Wildcats their first home loss of the season, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon (April 10).

No. 10 Baylor (18-3, 5-1 Big 12) gained the early advantage over K-State (7-8, 2-4 Big 12) in doubles play, as the Bears posted 6-1 wins over the Wildcats on courts one and two, giving them a 1-0 edge heading into the intermission. Baylor rode that momentum to three-straight wins to begin singles' competition, allowing the Bears to secure the necessary four points to clinch the victory.

"Doubles was a let down again," said head coach Jordan Smith. "So, until we get better in this area, then we won't be able to beat a team like Baylor. We responded well in singles and had five competitive matches."

Even with the match decided, sophomore Karine-Marion Job and junior Maria Linares managed to provide some positive moments for K-State at the top of the singles' lineup.

Dropping the first set of her matchup with Baylor's Mel Krywoj, Job turned things around and clinched her matchup in three sets over Baylor's ace, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Krywoj currently ranks No. 57 in the ITA National Singles poll.

Job's win at the top of the lineup improves her record to 6-6, while the victory over Krywoj marks the second time in her career she has upended an ITA-ranked opponent in dual-match play.

The battle between Linares and Baylor's Jessica Hinojosa on court two featured countless comeback attempts and two set tiebreakers. After taking set one, Linares allowed Hinojosa to capture the second set at 7-6 (10-7), bringing the heated matchup to a winner-take-all scenario.

As Linares found her rhythm from earlier in the match, she eventually pulled away to earn the win at the No. 2 position with a third set score of 1-0 (10-6).

Hampered by injuries at the beginning of the spring season, Linares has flourished over the last month, which has raised her record from the No. 2 spot to 7-3 in 2021.

"Great wins by KJ (Karine-Marion Job) and Maria (Linares) today," Smith stated. "They're both doing a fantastic job competing in our top two spots. Another ranked win for KJ. Each of our ladies needed to go the distance, but they should feel great about how well they closed out their matches."

However, K-State was unable to generate enough points from the rest of the singles lineup to spark an upset over the Bears, as No. 3, 4, 5 and 6 spots fell in Baylor's favor.

The pack of sophomore Rosanna Maffei, freshman Manami Ukita, sophomore Ioana Gheorghita and junior Anna Turco each faltered to their Baylor counterparts in two sets a piece.

K-State's pairings in doubles' action found no room to work with on the court, resulting in a quick setback due to the Bears recording 6-1 set wins in the No. 1 and 2 spots.

The Wildcats will finish out the weekend slate with their toughest test of the season on Sunday, April 11 as No. 2 Texas (19-1, 6-0 Big 12) visits Mike Goss Tennis Stadium at 11 a.m., CT.

"Tomorrow won't be any different from today," said Smith. "Sure, Texas is having a good year, but that doesn't change what our team needs to do. We understand what needs to be done. Now it's about stepping up and showing we can compete with anyone regardless of a number next to their name."

K-State vs. No. 10 Baylor
April 10, 2021
Mike Goss Tennis Stadium

Doubles Play
Order of Finish: 2, 1
No. 1. #64 Mel Krywoj/Angie Shakhraichuk (BU) def. Karine-Marion Job/Maria Linares (KSU) 6-1
No. 2. Jessica Hinojosa/Kris Sorokolet (BU) def. Lilla Barzo/Manami Ukita (KSU) 6-1
No. 3. Margot Decker/Anna Turco (KSU) vs. Audrey Boch-Collins/A. Herrero Linana (BU) 4-2

Singles Play:
Order of Finish: 4, 3, 6, 5, 1, 2
No. 1. Karine-Marion Job (KSU) def. #57 Mel Krywoj (BU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
No. 2. Maria Linares (KSU) def. Jessica Hinojosa (BU) 6-4, 6-7 (7-10), 1-0 (10-6)
No. 3. A. Herrero Linana (BU) def. Rosanna Maffei (KSU) 6-4, 6-3
No. 4. Angie Shakhraichuk (BU) def. Manami Ukita (KSU) 6-2, 6-1
No. 5. Paula Baranano (BU) def. Ioana Gheorghita (KSU) 6-3, 7-6 (7-0)
No. 6. Kris Sorokolet (BU) def. Anna Turco (KSU) 7-5, 6-4

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

Players Mentioned

Margot Decker

Ioana Gheorghita

Karine-Marion Job

Maria Linares

Rosanna Maffei

Anna Turco

Manami Ukita

Players Mentioned

Margot Decker

Ioana Gheorghita

Karine-Marion Job

Maria Linares

Rosanna Maffei

Anna Turco

Manami Ukita

Kansas State University Athletics