"I thought we did a much better job outside of doubles," said head coach Jordan Smith. "Now we are getting to the point where we are having more competitive doubles' points. That helps us feel a little more confident in singles. And playing at home makes a difference."
Attempting to maintain an early lead in the match, K-State (4-2) powered through the No. 1, 3, and 5 positions in the singles lineup to slam the door shut on Arizona (6-3) for a second-straight year.
Another productive outing in doubles play gave the Wildcats an early 1-0 advantage thanks to senior Margot Decker and Ioana Gheorghita, who sealed the first point of the match with a 6-4 victory over Arizona' Abby Amos and Talya Zandberg at No. 2 doubles' position.
The victory by Decker and Gheorghita came after Karine-Marion Job and junior teammate Maria Linares fell short in their 6-4 loss to Arizona's Gitte Heynemans and Khim Iglupas at the No. 1 position.
A steady presence from the No. 3 position got K-State off to a nice start in doubles' play, as senior Lilla Barzo and freshman Manami Ukita improved to 4-0 for the spring season after a stellar 6-3 set win over Arizona's Jelena Lukic and Kayla Wilkins.
"We have the balance between each other on the court," Barzo said. "With the fact we understand each other, this is a key part to our success. With her being good on the baseline and myself being good at the net, it just works for us."
After a gritty effort from Barzo at the No. 5 spot (W, 6-3, 7-5) in singles play, K-State swept the match with a straight-set victory at the No. 3 position, as sophomore Rosanna Maffei bounced Arizona's Talya Zandberg, 6-3, 7-6. Maffei had her hands full in the second set but persevered after recording a 6-2 set tiebreaker to take the victory.
The Wildcats pushed the match score to 2-0 just moments before in the No. 1 singles' position, as sophomore Karine-Marion Job spearheaded a 6-1, 6-3, victory over Arizona's Kayla Wilkins.
"Today, we stepped on the court and fought until the end," said Barzo. "I think it was really good that we could be at home. We started to think differently and put more energy on the court."
After starting the spring season at 0-2, K-State has responded with four-consecutive wins (Drake, Denver, Wichita State Arizona) all inside Body First Tennis Center. The Wildcats only surrendered one point in this weekend's wins against Wichita State and Arizona.
Singles play has drastically shifted over the past four matches for the Wildcats, as K-State has now collected 17 individual victories in 2021.
"I think we just got back into our stride of how to play," said Smith. "That first match with Arkansas I think we were a little shellshocked because it had been so long since we had competed in a team competition. The fact we came out and went 4-0 today, we have to be proud of ourselves. For us it was like, 'We got the job done and we should be proud of ourselves for getting the job done.'"
K-State will begin another road trip as the team hits the road and travels down to Dallas, Texas for another AAC matchup with SMU on Wednesday, March 3. Over the past three seasons, the Wildcats have held a 3-0 advantage over the Mustangs in dual-match play.
"If we can go out there and be competitive and push as hard as we can, that might show some breakthroughs on the road," Smith stated. "You need to be able to play anywhere, and our team knows that."
K-State vs. Arizona
February 21, 2021
Body First Tennis Center
Doubles Play
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
No. 1. Gitte Heynemans/Khim Iglupas (ARIZ) def. #46 Karine-Marion Job/Maria Linares (KSU) 6-4
No. 2. Margot Decker/Ioana Gheorghita (KSU) def. Abby Amos/Talya Zandberg (ARIZ) 6-4
No. 3. Lilla Barzo/Manami Ukita (KSU) def. Jelena Lukic/Kayla Wilkins (ARIZ) 6-3
Singles Play:
Order of Finish: 1, 5, 3
No. 1. Karine-Marion Job (KSU) def. Kayla Wilkins (ARIZ) 6-1, 6-3
No. 2. Maria Linares (KSU) vs. Jelena Lukic (ARIZ) 6-6 (3-3), unfinished
No. 3. Rosanna Maffei (KSU) def. Talya Zandberg (ARIZ) 6-3, 7-6 (6-2)
No. 4. Manami Ukita (KSU) vs. Abby Amos (ARIZ) 3-2, unfinished
No. 5. Lilla Barzo (KSU) def. Gitte Heynemans (ARIZ) 6-3, 7-5
No. 6. Anna Turco (KSU) vs. Khim Iglupas (ARIZ) unfinished
For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or K-State Women's Tennis on Facebook.
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