"Everyone played well this weekend," said head coach Jordan Smith. "Out of the seven girls we played, I thought everyone really impressed. We were expecting this type of play. For us, we just knew if we played our style, we could do well and get those tough wins. For us to pull out 13 wins on our home courts is great."
The 13 total victories for singles play were made possible on the final day due in part to the trio of juniors that included Maria Linares, Karine-Marion Job and Ioana Gheorghita, along with freshman Manami Ukita.
All four athletes posted dominant two-set victories on Sunday afternoon. Linares, Gheorghita and Ukita each recorded unblemished outings for singles' competition, each finishing with 3-0 marks.
Playing on court two, Ukita swiftly handled Iowa State's Christen Hsieh with a 6-3, 6-0 win. Taking the day off from doubles' action, Linares and Job quickly ran through both of their Cyclone opponents in singles play. Linares, a native of Maracay, Venezuela, used a score line of 6-2, 6-3, to clinch the win over Iowa State's Chie Kezuka. Job rebounded from a loss in Saturday's slate with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over the Cyclones' Ellie Murphy.
"I think we did well for our first tournament here in the fall," said Linares. "We stepped up when we needed to step up. I think everyone did a good job supporting each other. We kept pushing ourselves until the last point."
Riding a hot streak this fall play, Gheorghita showed that she can provide a boost for the Wildcats in singles' competition as the Ploiesti, Romania, product blasted her way to a win over Iowa State's Maty Cancini with a gritty two-set win, 7-6 (6-3), 6-3.
"I felt good in singles play," said Gheorghita. "I feel like we all really stepped up and did a good job. The energy was there. I feel like I am playing consistent, which is what matters for me."
Ukita and Gheorghita now hold 5-1 records in singles play for the fall season.
The Wildcats kicked off day three of the K-State Fall Invite with a nice victory in the doubles' session. The pairing of Gheorghita and junior Anna Turco fought back from a 1-4 deficit in their match with Iowa State's Maty Cancini and Chie Kezuka and pulled off five-straight games to win, 6-4.
With the win, the junior duo improved to 4-0 in the three-day tournament in doubles' competition.
In the other doubles' pairing, K-State saw Ukita and junior Rosanna Maffei battle hard against the Cyclones' duo of Ting-Pei Chang and Ellie Murphy before falling 6-4.
Turco competed hard in her match with the Cyclones' Ting-Pei Chang in the last event for singles play, as both players went into a pivotal third set after the Mondovi, Italy, native clinched the second stanza. However, Turco could not outlast the Cyclone in the last set of the matchup and fell by a score of 5-7, 6-4, 3-6.
K-State now turns its attention to the inaugural Big 12 Fall Individuals, which will take place on November 6-8 at the Greenwood Tennis Courts in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
K-State Fall Invite
Mike Goss Tennis Stadium
November 1, 2020
Doubles Play
Anna Turco/Ioana Gheorghita (KSU) def. Maty Cancini/Chie Kezuka (ISU), 6-4
Ellie Murphy/Ting-Pei Chang (ISU) def. Rosanna Maffei/Manami Ukita (ISU), 6-4
Singles Play
Manami Ukita (KSU) def. Christen Hsieh (ISU), 6-3, 6-0
Maria Linares (KSU) def. Chie Kezuka (ISU), 6-2, 6-3
Karine-Marion Job (KSU) def. Ellie Murphy (ISU), 6-4, 6-3
Ioana Gheorghita (KSU) def. Maty Cancini (ISU) 7-6 (6-3), 6-3
Ting-Pei Chang (ISU) def. Anna Turco (KSU), 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or K-State Women's Tennis on Facebook.
The Link Lonk
November 02, 2020 at 07:04AM
https://ift.tt/2TJH8aS
Wildcats Cap K-State Fall Invite with 13 Singles Victories - Kansas State University Athletics - K-StateSports.com
https://ift.tt/3d5QSDO
No comments:
Post a Comment