K-State has just one road match left this season, a visit to Houston on April 5.
ORLANDO, Fla. The K-State women’s tennis team kicked off its last road swing of the regular season on Friday (April 3), coming up short in a 4–1 loss to No. 19 UCF at the UCF Collegiate Tennis Center the highest-ranked opponent the Wildcats have faced this year.
K-State (5–11, 2–8 Big 12) opened with promise in doubles but couldn’t secure the point, and several singles matches were left unfinished after the Knights (15–3, 8–2 Big 12) clinched three quick victories.
On court No. 2, freshman Sasha Kyselova and sophomore Chanel Rustemova held an early edge over Olivia Bergler and Lauren Seye, but ultimately fell 4–6. Freshmen Varvara Bernovich and Diana Smolinska dropped their No. 3 doubles match 2–6 to Jade Psnoka and Vladislava Andreevskaya.
K-State’s No. 1 doubles team, the 80th-ranked pairing of junior Maralgoo Chogsomjav and freshman Martaa Chogsomjav, led 5–4 against Jantje Tilbuerger and Marina Gatell before the match was halted.
In singles, Smolinska delivered the Wildcats’ lone point. After a competitive 5–7 first set in the No. 4 spot, she was leading 3–2 in the second when Andreevskaya was forced to retire due to injury.
Bernovich battled at No. 6, pushing for a third set before falling 6–3, 6–4 to Seye.
Rustemova and Kyselova posted similar outcomes at No. 5 and No. 3, respectively. Rustemova managed just one game in the first set against Psnoka and couldn’t mount a full comeback in the second, losing 6–1, 6–3. Kyselova started with two early games against Gatell but dropped her match 6–2, 6–1.
Maralgoo was the only Wildcat to take a set on the day. Playing at No. 1, she edged Tilbuerger in a tight tiebreak, winning the opener 7–6 (9–7). She was trailing 3–4 in the second when the match was left unfinished.
In the No. 2 position, Martaa fell 3–6 in the opening set to Bergler and was battling back in the second, trailing 5–6 when play was halted.
K-State now turns its attention to Sunday (April 5), when the Wildcats face No. 41 Houston (15–5, 5–5 Big 12) at 1 p.m. at the Barbara Wallace Winston Tennis Facility in Houston, Texas.
