🎾 Jayhawks Fall in Heartbreaker to UCSB in First Round of NCAA Tournament
STANFORD, Calif. – No. 26 Kansas fell to No. 24 UC-Santa Barbara, 4-3, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Stanford, California on Friday.
Kansas’ NCAA Tournament appearance was the 12th in program history and fifth under head coach Todd Chapman. Kansas finishes the season 15-11 and 4-5 in conference play, in what was a resilient season for the Jayhawks.
The Jayhawks jumped ahead in doubles, 1-0, as senior duo Malkia Ngounoue and Julia Deming defeated Camille Kiss and Marta Gonzalez Ballbe of UCSB, 6-2. The No. 79 ranked pairing of senior Sonia Smagina and sophomore Raphaelle Lacasse clinched the doubles point for Kansas, defeating Elizaveta Volodko and Shakhnoza Khatamova, 6-4.
Redshirt freshman Maria Titova and junior Roxana Manu’s match against Amelia Honer and Kira Reuter went unfinished with a score of 6-5.
Looking to carry their momentum into singles, Manu extended Kansas’ lead to 2-0 by defeating Honer in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5. Shortly after, Smagina gave Kansas a 3-0 lead by defeating Kiss, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1.
The Gauchos responded with Volodko defeating Ngounoue by a score of 1-6, 7-6 and 2-6. UCSD’s Kira Reuter then battled back to defeat Kansas senior Tiffany Lagarde by a score of 1-6, 7-5 and 3-6.
With Kansas leading 3-2, UCSB’s Khatamova defeated KU’s Maria Titova by a score of 4-6, 7-5 and 3-6. After tying the match 3-3, UCSB’s Filippa Bruu-Syversen defeated freshman Mariana Manyoma-Velasquez by a score of 6-7, 7-5 and 4-6, securing the match for UC-Santa Barbara.
SINGLES RESULTS:
#75 Khatamova def. #52 Titova (KU) 4-6, 7-5, 3-6
Volodko def. Ngounoue (KU) 6-1, 7-6, 6-2
Smagina (KU) def. Kiss 6-1, 4-6, 6-1
Manu (KU) def. Honer 6-3, 7-5
Bruu-Syversen def. Velasquez (KU) 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-4
Reuter def. Lagarde 1-6, 7-5, 6-3
DOUBLES RESULTS:
No. 79 Smagina / Lacasse (KU) def. Volodko / Khatamova 6-4
Manu / Titova (KU) vs. Sahdiieva / Zamburek 6-5 (DNF)
Ngounoue / Deming (KU) def. Kiss / Gonzalez 6-2
