🎾 Kansas Set to Face Oklahoma and Oklahoma State

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas women’s tennis team will conclude the regular season with another two-match weekend at the Jayhawk Tennis Center, versus the No. 24 ranked Oklahoma and No. 40 ranked Oklahoma State. First serve against the Sooners is set for Friday at 5 p.m. and will serve as the Jayhawks for a cure match, with fans encouraged to wear pink. Sunday’s match against the Cowgirls is set for noon.

Last weekend the Jayhawks fell to the No. 2 ranked Longhorns of Texas with a 6-1 decision on Friday night. The visitor’s notched the doubles point and subsequently singles victories on courts three, four, two and five. Texas held a commanding 5-0 lead over the Jayhawks but Sonia Smagina battled her way into the win column for the home team. On court one, Smagina faced off against Anna Turati and faltered in the opening set 3-6. However, she bounced back to take the second set in a tiebreaker situation at 7-6 (13-11). Finally, she sealed the victory 1-0 (10-2) over Turati for Kansas’ first point of the night. Malaika Rapolu scarcely garnered her win on court six over Julia Deming at 7-6 (13-11) and 7-6 (7-2) leading her team to a 6-1 overall victory.

Last Sunday’s match versus the No. 10 ranked Baylor was a tightly contested contest, with Kansas falling by a slight margin of 4-3. The Jayhawks raced out to a great start in doubles play on court two where Malkia Ngounoue and Julia Deming defeated Jessica Hinojosa and Kris Sorokolet in a commanding 6-2 victory. Next to finish was court three where the Bears outlasted Tiffany Lagarde and Carmen Roxana Manu, 6-4. The doubles point rested on court one where the teams were engaged in a tightly contested battle. Mel Krywoj and Angie Shakhraichuk narrowly endured the intense competition from Sonia Smagina and Vasiliki Karvouni 7-6 (7-3). Baylor had garnered the doubles point with singles play next up. The match was a back-and-forth affair, with the Bears leading 4-2 with only one court remaining. Lagarde was host to Paula Baranano on court five where the competitors were engaged in intense competition. The Jayhawks were able to take the opening set at 7-6. Baranano bounced back in the following set, finishing 6-3. Lagarde notched the victory with a 6-2 set win. With her win, the home team improved on the day to 4-3.

Kansas faced Oklahoma back on February 21 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Jayhawks fell 6-1 to the Sooners despite a hard-fought match inside the Headington Family Tennis Center. Kansas got off to a slow start as Oklahoma claimed the doubles point. In singles, the Sooners gained points on court one (Smagina: 4-6, 6-7 [7]), court three (Manu: 2-6, 3-6), four (Karvouni: 3-6, 3-6) and five (Lagarde: 2-6, 3-6). On court two, Ngounoue faced off against Ivana Corley of Oklahoma, which went to a tiebreaker at 6-7 (2) in the first set, favoring Corley. Ngounoue wasn’t able to come back in the second set, as Oklahoma expanded their lead, 6-0. Kansas got a point on court six, where Deming fought her way through a third set tiebreaker, 1-0, after battling with Oklahoma’s Camila Romero 6-4, 4-6 in the first two sets.