Friday, January 30
Kansas City, Kan.
Kansas State University
2
vs
4
Clemson
Wildcats Come Up Short 4-2 in First Dual Match Against #21 Clemson
Jan 30, 2026 | Tennis
K-State started the spring facing a ranked Tigers team for the first time
KANSAS CITY, Kan.- The K-State women's tennis team competed on Friday (January 30) in the first dual match of the season, falling to #21 Clemson, 4-2, at Homestead Country Club.
K-State (0-1) won the doubles point over the Tigers (5-1) but after earning a quick singles win the Cats could not keep the momentum to finish out the match. Clemson is now 1-0 in series history as the two teams faced off for the first time.
Junior Maralgoo Chogsomjav and freshman Martaa Chogsomjav continue to find success as a duo, defeating Jade Groen and Rinon Okuwaki on the no. 1 court at 6-2. Similarly, in the no. 2 spot, freshman Sasha Kyselova and sophomore Chanel Rustemova won 6-3 against Romana Cisovska and Gaia Parravinci.
Freshmen Varvara Bernovich and Diana Smolinska were up 5-3 in their match against Artemis Aslanisvili and Talia Neilson-Gatenby in the no. 3 position, before stoppage.
Starting off strong, Maralgoo secured the long singles win for the Wildcats in the no. 1 spot where she swept Groen at 6-3, 6-2.
Bernovich, a brand new Wildcat from Minsk, Belarus, joined the team on January 29. She competed in the no. 6 position against Aslanisvili, in a back and forth dual, but she ultimately dropped her first match at 4-6, 3-6.
Kyselova and Smolinska both lost in similar fashion; Kyselova faced Cisovska in the no. 2 spot at 1-6, 3-6 while Smolinska competed in the no. 4 position against Rinon Okuwaki, also with a 1-6, 3-6 final.
Coming down to two courts, both Martaa and Rustemova faced three sets. In the no. 3 spot, Martaa fell in the first set 5-7 but battled back in the second against Bhatka. Ultimately, she could not keep up with a flipped score in the last set, 5-7, 6-4, 4-6.
Rustemova went unfinished against Neilson-Gatenby in the no. 5 position, winning the first set but down in the last for a 6-4, 4-6, 1-4 finish.
K-State (0-1) will continue the spring with two road matches in Fayetteville, Ark., facing Tulsa (5-1) on February 7 and Arkansas (2-0) the following day on February 8.
FROM THE COURT
Head Coach Jordan Smith
On expectations coming into the first dual match…
"To be honest, I didn't know what to expect coming into this match. A week ago we couldn't field enough players to play a match. Today, we're going the distance with a top-20 team in our first match of the season. So definitely mixed feelings of being extremely proud and gutted at the same time. Overall, this team was resilient and do all they could to win today. Can't ask for more as a coach."
On improvements that can be made before the next matches…
"Definitely have to work on some areas before next week involving emotional reactions and serving. None of these things are out of this team's ability. So I expect to see improvements quickly. We're really young with six of our nine players being freshmen so I definitely believe more experience will help us over time. Time to work even harder for next week."
#21 Clemson vs K-State
Homestead Country Club
Kansas City, Kan.
#21 Clemson 4, K-State 2
Singles Competition
1. Maralgoo Chogsomjav (KSU) def. Jade Groen (CU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Romana Cisovska (CU) def. Sasha Kyselova (KSU) 6-1, 6-3
3. Ria Bhakta (CU) def. Martaa Chogsomjav (KSU) 5-7, 6-4, 4-6
4. Rinon Okuwaki (CU) def. Diana Smolinska (KSU) 6-1, 6-3
5. Chanel Rustemova (KSU) vs. Talia Neilson-Gatenby (CU) 6-4, 4-6, 1-4
6. Artemis Aslanisvili (CU) def. Varvara Bernovich (KSU) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. Martaa Chogsomjav/Maralgoo Chogsomjav (KSU) def. Jade Groen/Rinon Okuwaki (CU) 6-2
2. Sasha Kyselova/Chanel Rustemova (KSU) def. Romana Cisovska/Gaia Parravinci (CU) 6-3
3. Varvara Bernovich/Diana Smolinska (KSU) vs. Artemis Aslanisvili/Talia Neilson-Gatenby (CU) 5-3, unfinished
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.
K-State (0-1) won the doubles point over the Tigers (5-1) but after earning a quick singles win the Cats could not keep the momentum to finish out the match. Clemson is now 1-0 in series history as the two teams faced off for the first time.
Junior Maralgoo Chogsomjav and freshman Martaa Chogsomjav continue to find success as a duo, defeating Jade Groen and Rinon Okuwaki on the no. 1 court at 6-2. Similarly, in the no. 2 spot, freshman Sasha Kyselova and sophomore Chanel Rustemova won 6-3 against Romana Cisovska and Gaia Parravinci.
Freshmen Varvara Bernovich and Diana Smolinska were up 5-3 in their match against Artemis Aslanisvili and Talia Neilson-Gatenby in the no. 3 position, before stoppage.
Starting off strong, Maralgoo secured the long singles win for the Wildcats in the no. 1 spot where she swept Groen at 6-3, 6-2.
Bernovich, a brand new Wildcat from Minsk, Belarus, joined the team on January 29. She competed in the no. 6 position against Aslanisvili, in a back and forth dual, but she ultimately dropped her first match at 4-6, 3-6.
Kyselova and Smolinska both lost in similar fashion; Kyselova faced Cisovska in the no. 2 spot at 1-6, 3-6 while Smolinska competed in the no. 4 position against Rinon Okuwaki, also with a 1-6, 3-6 final.
Coming down to two courts, both Martaa and Rustemova faced three sets. In the no. 3 spot, Martaa fell in the first set 5-7 but battled back in the second against Bhatka. Ultimately, she could not keep up with a flipped score in the last set, 5-7, 6-4, 4-6.
Rustemova went unfinished against Neilson-Gatenby in the no. 5 position, winning the first set but down in the last for a 6-4, 4-6, 1-4 finish.
K-State (0-1) will continue the spring with two road matches in Fayetteville, Ark., facing Tulsa (5-1) on February 7 and Arkansas (2-0) the following day on February 8.
FROM THE COURT
Head Coach Jordan Smith
On expectations coming into the first dual match…
"To be honest, I didn't know what to expect coming into this match. A week ago we couldn't field enough players to play a match. Today, we're going the distance with a top-20 team in our first match of the season. So definitely mixed feelings of being extremely proud and gutted at the same time. Overall, this team was resilient and do all they could to win today. Can't ask for more as a coach."
On improvements that can be made before the next matches…
"Definitely have to work on some areas before next week involving emotional reactions and serving. None of these things are out of this team's ability. So I expect to see improvements quickly. We're really young with six of our nine players being freshmen so I definitely believe more experience will help us over time. Time to work even harder for next week."
#21 Clemson vs K-State
Homestead Country Club
Kansas City, Kan.
#21 Clemson 4, K-State 2
Singles Competition
1. Maralgoo Chogsomjav (KSU) def. Jade Groen (CU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Romana Cisovska (CU) def. Sasha Kyselova (KSU) 6-1, 6-3
3. Ria Bhakta (CU) def. Martaa Chogsomjav (KSU) 5-7, 6-4, 4-6
4. Rinon Okuwaki (CU) def. Diana Smolinska (KSU) 6-1, 6-3
5. Chanel Rustemova (KSU) vs. Talia Neilson-Gatenby (CU) 6-4, 4-6, 1-4
6. Artemis Aslanisvili (CU) def. Varvara Bernovich (KSU) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. Martaa Chogsomjav/Maralgoo Chogsomjav (KSU) def. Jade Groen/Rinon Okuwaki (CU) 6-2
2. Sasha Kyselova/Chanel Rustemova (KSU) def. Romana Cisovska/Gaia Parravinci (CU) 6-3
3. Varvara Bernovich/Diana Smolinska (KSU) vs. Artemis Aslanisvili/Talia Neilson-Gatenby (CU) 5-3, unfinished
-- 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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