Final Regular Season Match Moves No. 53 K-State to Lawrence

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The No. 53 Kansas State women's tennis team will play their final regular season match on the road at No. 29 Kansas on Saturday (April 16) at 12 p.m. CT.

"It's the Sunflower Showdown," stated head coach Jordan Smith. "We're going to be ready and represent the Wildcats to the best of our abilities. Both teams know each other very well and I expect it to be a battle. Hopefully, we can finish the regular season on a positive heading into Big 12's."

Both No. 53 K-State (9-11, 1-7 Big 12) and No. 29 Kansas (13-9, 3-5 Big 12) are coming off an 0-2 trip against No. 4 Texas and No. 21 Baylor.

Senior Maria Linares is currently 13-3 on the season, 5-1 in the number one spot, and leads the Wildcats in singles play. Linares is undefeated, 3-0, at number three position.

It has been almost a full year since the Jayhawks and Wildcats saw each other in match play.

On April 22, 2021, K-State played Kansas in the Big 12 Tennis Championships First Round in Waco, Texas. The Jayhawks claimed the win, 4-3, after splitting their two regular season matches.

All but one of the singles' matchups went to three sets after the Wildcats grabbed the early momentum with the doubles' point. In the end, the match came down to senior Karine-Marion Job and Kansas' Malkia Ngounoue.

Job was defeated in the first set, but regained momentum and powered past Ngounoue in the second set, 7-5. Job tied up the third set, 5-5, before the Jayhawk pushed past the Lyon, France native, 7-5.

Just two weeks before the Big 12 Tennis Championships, the Wildcats defeated the Jayhawks, 4-3, at home in Manhattan. This was the first time in eight years since K-State took down in state rival Kansas.

It took special effort from senior Ioana Gheorghita to help clinch the Sunflower Showdown for the Wildcats. It was back-and-forth with three different tiebreakers over the course of the match. In the end, Gheorghita was victorious, 7-5, 6-7(1-7), 6-4.

Following the match against No. 29 Kansas, the Wildcats will head off to Fort Worth, Texas for the 2022 Big 12 Tennis Championships hosted by TCU at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center on April 21-24.

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