Kansas State University Athletics
Saturday, April 10
Manhattan, Kan.
11:30 AM
Kansas State University
vs
Baylor
K-State Set to Face No. 10 Baylor, No. 2 Texas
Apr 08, 2021 | Tennis
The Wildcats will battle Top 10 opponents at home this weekend
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State women's tennis team will face off against two of the best programs in the nation this weekend at Mike Goss Tennis Stadium, as the Wildcats play No. 10 Baylor on Saturday, April 10 at 11:30 a.m., CT before a matchup against No. 2 Texas on Sunday, April 11 at 11 a.m., CT.
Due to COVID-19 protocols, there will be a limited seating at Mike Goss Tennis Stadium with fans being asked to arrive through the east gate off Denison Avenue. In accordance with City of Manhattan ordinances and Kansas State University policy, fans must wear face coverings over their mouths and noses in order to enter the facility and continue wearing them inside the stadium.
K-State (7-7, 2-3 Big 12) will have a chance to truly elevate its status in the Big 12 with showdowns against ITA Top-10 opponents in No. 10 Baylor (17-3, 4-1 Big 12) and No. 2 Texas (18-1, 5-0 Big 12). For the head-to-head contests, K-State currently owns a 5-24 mark against the Bears all-time, while Sunday's match features a Longhorns' team which has never lost to the Wildcats in the Big 12 era, owning a 28-0 advantage in the all-time series.
K-State is currently riding an unblemished 6-0 record at home this season, which featured a 4-3 victory over No. 44 Kansas in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown on April 3. For the first time since 2014, the Wildcats regained their status as the top program in the Sunflower State with its triumph over the Jayhawks. Sophomore Ioana Gheorghita ended that streak in the last singles' duel of the day, pulling through in three sets at the No. 5 spot.
Collecting four-straight games in the final set, Gheorghita's comeback win over Kansas' Tiffany Lagarde set the stage for the Wildcats to notch their first win in nearly eight years over the Jayhawks.
Gheorghita, who is 4-1 in dual-match play this spring, has won 3 straight matches.
For her efforts in securing the win the Sunflower Showdown, Gheorghita was named the Big 12 co-Player of the Week on Tuesday afternoon. The weekly accolade was Gheoghita's first of her career, and it was also the first Big 12 Player of the Week award for the Wildcats since teammate Karine-Marion Job picked up the same honor back on February 19, 2019.
Taking on the Kansas' Sonia Smagina at the top of the lineup, Job spearheaded the eventual comeback win over the Jayhawks, as she dispatched Smagina in two sets, 6-0, 6-4, setting K-State on the right course in singles play.
Juniors Anna Turco and Maria Linares followed suit with wins in their singles matchups, as both players brought the score to 3-3 all and paved the way for Gheorghita to slam the door shut on the Jayhawks in extra time.
Turco upped her record in the No. 6 position to 4-1 when she defeated the Jayhawks' Julia Deming in two sets, 6-3, 6-1. On court two, Linares finished off Kansas' Malkia Ngounoue – who ranks No. 102 in the ITA national poll - for the second time this season with a 6-4, 7-6 (7) win.
Linares leads all Wildcats with 6 wins in dual-match play, including a 6-3 mark at the No. 2 position. Three others – senior Lilla Barzo, Job and freshman Manami Ukita – all have 5 wins. Job's 5 wins have all come at the No. 1 position where she is 5-6 in the spring, while Barzo is 4-2 at No. 5 and Ukita is 3-2 at No. 4.
In doubles' play, the duo of Job and Linares are 4-7 in dual-match play with all 4 wins coming at the No. 1 position, while Barzo and Ukita boast a team-best 7-1 mark, including a 4-0 record at the No. 3 position.
The Wildcats will need all hands-on deck if they want to pull off the upsets over the Bears and Longhorns, as both schools have combined for 35 wins this spring. Both Baylor (17) and Texas (18) are one of three teams in the country to record 17 or more victories this spring, with No. 1 North Carolina being the only other program to accomplish that mark (20).
Baylor is led by junior Mel Krywoj - who sits with at 17-8 on the year - including a 9-5 mark in the No. 1 spot. Krywoj is joined by fellow Bear Livia Kraus in the ITA National Top 125 Singles poll, as Krywoj owns the No. 57 ranking while Kraus sits just below at No. 75 overall.
For the Longhorns, five players own spots in the ITA national poll, with senior Anna Turati slated with the highest ranking at No. 18 overall. Behind Turati is freshmen Payton Stearns (No. 24), Kyle Collins (No. 56), Lulu Sun (No. 72) and Charlotte Chavatipon (No. 81).
K-State will conclude the 2021 regular season with its last two home matches against No. 41 Oklahoma State (7-10, 1-4 Big 12) on Friday April 16, and No. 33 Oklahoma (11-5, 2-3 Big 12) on Sunday, April 18. Sunday's match against the Sooners will feature Senior Day festivities for K-State's Margot Decker and Lilla Barzo.
Due to COVID-19 protocols, there will be a limited seating at Mike Goss Tennis Stadium with fans being asked to arrive through the east gate off Denison Avenue. In accordance with City of Manhattan ordinances and Kansas State University policy, fans must wear face coverings over their mouths and noses in order to enter the facility and continue wearing them inside the stadium.
K-State (7-7, 2-3 Big 12) will have a chance to truly elevate its status in the Big 12 with showdowns against ITA Top-10 opponents in No. 10 Baylor (17-3, 4-1 Big 12) and No. 2 Texas (18-1, 5-0 Big 12). For the head-to-head contests, K-State currently owns a 5-24 mark against the Bears all-time, while Sunday's match features a Longhorns' team which has never lost to the Wildcats in the Big 12 era, owning a 28-0 advantage in the all-time series.
K-State is currently riding an unblemished 6-0 record at home this season, which featured a 4-3 victory over No. 44 Kansas in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown on April 3. For the first time since 2014, the Wildcats regained their status as the top program in the Sunflower State with its triumph over the Jayhawks. Sophomore Ioana Gheorghita ended that streak in the last singles' duel of the day, pulling through in three sets at the No. 5 spot.
Collecting four-straight games in the final set, Gheorghita's comeback win over Kansas' Tiffany Lagarde set the stage for the Wildcats to notch their first win in nearly eight years over the Jayhawks.
Gheorghita, who is 4-1 in dual-match play this spring, has won 3 straight matches.
For her efforts in securing the win the Sunflower Showdown, Gheorghita was named the Big 12 co-Player of the Week on Tuesday afternoon. The weekly accolade was Gheoghita's first of her career, and it was also the first Big 12 Player of the Week award for the Wildcats since teammate Karine-Marion Job picked up the same honor back on February 19, 2019.
Taking on the Kansas' Sonia Smagina at the top of the lineup, Job spearheaded the eventual comeback win over the Jayhawks, as she dispatched Smagina in two sets, 6-0, 6-4, setting K-State on the right course in singles play.
Juniors Anna Turco and Maria Linares followed suit with wins in their singles matchups, as both players brought the score to 3-3 all and paved the way for Gheorghita to slam the door shut on the Jayhawks in extra time.
Turco upped her record in the No. 6 position to 4-1 when she defeated the Jayhawks' Julia Deming in two sets, 6-3, 6-1. On court two, Linares finished off Kansas' Malkia Ngounoue – who ranks No. 102 in the ITA national poll - for the second time this season with a 6-4, 7-6 (7) win.
Linares leads all Wildcats with 6 wins in dual-match play, including a 6-3 mark at the No. 2 position. Three others – senior Lilla Barzo, Job and freshman Manami Ukita – all have 5 wins. Job's 5 wins have all come at the No. 1 position where she is 5-6 in the spring, while Barzo is 4-2 at No. 5 and Ukita is 3-2 at No. 4.
In doubles' play, the duo of Job and Linares are 4-7 in dual-match play with all 4 wins coming at the No. 1 position, while Barzo and Ukita boast a team-best 7-1 mark, including a 4-0 record at the No. 3 position.
The Wildcats will need all hands-on deck if they want to pull off the upsets over the Bears and Longhorns, as both schools have combined for 35 wins this spring. Both Baylor (17) and Texas (18) are one of three teams in the country to record 17 or more victories this spring, with No. 1 North Carolina being the only other program to accomplish that mark (20).
Baylor is led by junior Mel Krywoj - who sits with at 17-8 on the year - including a 9-5 mark in the No. 1 spot. Krywoj is joined by fellow Bear Livia Kraus in the ITA National Top 125 Singles poll, as Krywoj owns the No. 57 ranking while Kraus sits just below at No. 75 overall.
For the Longhorns, five players own spots in the ITA national poll, with senior Anna Turati slated with the highest ranking at No. 18 overall. Behind Turati is freshmen Payton Stearns (No. 24), Kyle Collins (No. 56), Lulu Sun (No. 72) and Charlotte Chavatipon (No. 81).
K-State will conclude the 2021 regular season with its last two home matches against No. 41 Oklahoma State (7-10, 1-4 Big 12) on Friday April 16, and No. 33 Oklahoma (11-5, 2-3 Big 12) on Sunday, April 18. Sunday's match against the Sooners will feature Senior Day festivities for K-State's Margot Decker and Lilla Barzo.
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