K-State Stumbles to #36 Arizona State in 4-3 Loss

MANHATTAN, Kan.- The K-State women's tennis team was just shy of a win on Sunday (March 23) falling short to Arizona State 4-3 at Mike Goss Tennis Stadium.

K-State (7-7, 4-3 Big 12) won the doubles point in consecutive matches for the first time this season, but #36 Arizona State (11-5, 6-2 Big 12) took control in singles play by winning on the last three courts.

Sophomores Maralgoo Chogsomjav and Charlotte Keitel clinched the doubles point for the Wildcats, winning their first match since March 7 against Cincinnati, defeating #36 Patricija Spaka and Lily Taylor 6-3 in the no. 1 spot. The duo is now 2-2 in matches against ranked pairs.

Junior Sana Garakani and sophomore Tereza Polakova were successful in another match in the no. 3 position over Aiya Nupbay and Emilija Tverijonaite, 6-4.

Senior Veronika Kulhava and junior Maria Santos fell to Karin Altori and Sara Svetac in the no. 2 spot, 3-6.

In singles play, Chogsomjav quickly claimed the Wildcats first singles win. She came out on top in straight sets for the first time in a month, defeating Spaka in the no. 3 position, 6-4, 6-0.

With the other K-State point, Kulhava secured her 30^th singles win as a Wildcat, sweeping Karsyn Evans, 6-4, 6-4, in the no. 5 spot.

Freshman Zhanel Rustemova encountered a high scoring match against #49 Sara Svetac, in the no. 1 position. The first set ended with a tiebreaker, Rustemova unable to string together enough points in a 5-7 decision. In the second she fought back from a deficit but was unable to keep the momentum, losing 6-7 (5-7), 5-7.

Keitel competed in her third consecutive three-set match, this time against #33 Tverijonaite. In the no. 2 spot, Keitel dropped the first set going scoreless but battled back for a 6-3 win in the second. She started the third set strong but was stopped short at 0-6, 6-3, 3-6.

After collecting K-State's winning point against Arizona on March 21, Polakova faced heavy resistance from Nupbay in the no. 6 position. She went back-and-forth in the first set but lost her footing with a slow finish, losing 4-6, 2-6.

In the deciding singles match, Santos was forced into a third set in the no. 4 spot against Taylor. She claimed the first set at 6-4 but was left scoreless in the second. In the last set, she came back from behind at four points apiece but could not secure the win, falling 6-4, 0-6, 4-6.

The Wildcats will hit the road for the first time in three weeks, facing Baylor (15-3, 6-2 Big 12) in Waco, Texas, on Friday (March 28) at 12 p.m. CT, and TCU (11-6, 5-2 Big 12) on Sunday (March 30) at 12 p.m. CT, in Fort Worth, Texas.

FROM THE COURTS
Head Coach Jordan Smith
On a close match with another ranked team…
"Always sucks when you come up short. However, a lot to be proud of with this team. We're right there with anyone in this conference. We'll be back and ready to show our capabilities next weekend on the road."

Arizona State vs K-State
Mike Goss Tennis Stadium
Manhattan, Kan.

#36 Arizona State 4, K-State 3

Singles Competition
1. #49 Sara Svetac (ASU) def. Zhanel Rustemova (KSU) 7-6 (7-5), 7-5
2. #33 Emilija Tverijonaite (ASU) def. Charlotte Keitel (KSU) 6-0, 3-6, 6-3
3. Maralgoo Chogsomjav (KSU) def. Patricija Spaka (ASU) 6-4, 6-0
4. Lily Taylor (ASU) def. Maria Santos (KSU) 4-6, 6-0, 6-4
5. Veronika Kulhava (KSU) def. Karsyn Evans (ASU) 6-4, 6-4
6. Aiya Nupbay (ASU) def. Tereza Polakova (KSU) 6-4, 6-2

Doubles Competition
1. Maralgoo Chogsomjav/Charlotte Keitel (KSU) def. #36 Patricija Spaka/Lily Taylor (ASU) 6-4
2. Karin Altori/Sara Svetac (ASU) def. Veronika Kulhava/Maria Santos (KSU) 6-3
3. Sana Garakani/Tereza Polakova (KSU) def. Aiya Nupbay/Emilija Tverijonaite (ASU) 6-3

-- k-statesports.com --

How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on the K-State Women's Tennis Team, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

Maralgoo Chogsomjav

Sana Garakani

Charlotte Keitel

Veronika Kulhava

Tereza Polakova

Zhanel Rustemova

Maria Santos