🎾 Jayhawks Host the Longhorns and Bears
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas women’s tennis team will host a two-match weekend at the Jayhawks Tennis Center against Texas and Baylor. First serve versus the No. 2 ranked Longhorns is set for Friday, April 9 at 5 p.m. The No. 49 ranked Jayhawks will commence their match versus the No. 10 ranked Bears on Sunday, April 11 at noon.
Last weekend, Kansas fell in a tightly contested 4-3 match against Kansas State. Doubles play set the tone early on as a prelude to the intense battle ahead. The Wildcats on court three notched the first victory of the day besting Tiffany Lagarde and Carmen Roxana Manu 6-2. However, the Jayhawks rallied back to even the score on court two where Malkia Ngounoue and Julia Deming defeated Kansas State’s duo 6-1. Stuck in a tiebreaker situation, the doubles point rested on the outcome of court one. Sonia Smagina and Vasiliki Karvouni outlasted the Wildcats’ Karine-Marion Job and Maria Linares, 7-6 (7-4).
The Jayhawks were able to garner the doubles point heading into singles play.
Marion-Job evened the score for the home team and was able deadlock the match at one all, pushing past Smagina at 6-0 and 6-4. Kansas State’s Anna Turco defeated Deming 6-3, 6-1 and gave her team the premature 2-1 lead. Kansas rallied back taking courts three and four in back-to-back victories to position the Jayhawks ahead at 3-2. On court three, Manu defeated Manami Ukita with sets of 6-4, 6-4. Karvouni followed on court four routing Lilla Barzo 6-3, 6-4 sets. Linares kept the thrilling theme of competition by bringing the match to yet another tie at three all with her win on court two. The Wildcat narrowly notched her victory after battling with Ngounoue with set scores of 6-4 and 7-6 (7-1).
The fate of the overall match rested on the outcome of court five where Lagarde was competing against Kansas State’s Ioana Gheorghita. These two competitors traded sets back-and-forth throughout with the Wildcat taking the opening set of 7-5. Lagarde took set two at 7-6 (1-7). Gheorghita eventually tallied the win at 6-4.
This weekend’s tilt will be the first match-up for these teams this season.
