MANHATTAN, Kan. The K-State women’s tennis team rolled through Wednesday’s (April 8) doubleheader against Chicago State, earning dominant 7–0 and 4–1 victories at the Peakform Sports & Wellness Center.
K-State (7–12, 2–9 Big 12) opened the day with a sweep, taking every doubles and singles match from the Cougars (1–22, 1–4 NEC). In the second match, the teams skipped doubles and played singles only, where the Wildcats secured another strong win.
Ranked No. 89 as a doubles pair, Maralgoo Chogsomjav and Martaa Chogsomjav earned their first win together since March 20, defeating Mackenzie King and Karolina Skowronska 6–4 at the No. 1 spot. In No. 2 doubles, freshman Sasha Kyselova and sophomore Chanel Rustemova cruised to a 6–1 victory over Nikita Liyanage and Camilla Sanchez.
Making their spring return, Addison and Mallory Renfro teamed up in No. 3 doubles before their match was left unfinished at 3–4.
In singles, Maralgoo dominated her lone match of the day, shaking off early resistance from Skowronska for a 6–4, 6–0 win at No. 1. Both Kyselova and Rustemova blanked their opponents in at least one set—Rustemova delivering a flawless 6–0, 6–0 at No. 3, while Kyselova controlled Sanchez 6–1, 6–0 at No. 2.
The remaining singles matches used 8-game pro sets to close out the sweep. Diana Smolinska (8–4), Varvara Bernovich (8–2), and Addison Renfro (8–4) all rolled to wins in the No. 4, 5, and 6 spots.
In the second match, three Wildcats went undefeated on the day. Smolinska opened with a quick 6–0, 6–1 win over King at No. 3, while Bernovich beat Hughes for a second time, 6–0, 6–2, at No. 5. Rustemova fought through a tougher challenge from Liyanage in No. 4 singles, finishing 6–4, 6–2.
Martaa Chogsomjav competed in singles this time, topping Sanchez 6–3, 6–0 at No. 2. At No. 1, Kyselova battled Skowronska in a three-setter, dropping a first-set tiebreaker, bouncing back 7–5 in the second, but fading late in a 6–7 (4–7), 7–5, 2–6 loss.
The match was clinched before Mallory Renfro could begin her No. 6 contest against Morille.
K-State now turns its attention to the final week of Big 12 play, hosting Iowa State (4–14, 2–9 Big 12) on Friday (April 10) at 6 p.m. before the Sunflower Showdown against No. 39 Kansas (12–9, 7–4 Big 12) on Sunday (April 12) at noon at Mike Goss Tennis Stadium.
FROM THE COURTS Head Coach Jordan Smith
On returning home and getting back in the win column:
“Really happy to reset and keep building. It’s been a long stretch of road matches, so being home for the first time in nearly three weeks feels great. Everything we’ve gone through this season has helped us grow, and today was a step toward getting back to the level we want heading into the weekend.”
On closing out the conference schedule at home:
“It should give our girls confidence. There’s nothing to hold back now with the regular season finale ahead. We’ve stressed urgency all season, and I think they understand it—no regrets going forward.”
