MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University tennis team closed the weekend in Kansas on Sunday, April 1, as the Mountaineers fell, 4-0, to No. 50 Kansas State, at the Mike Goss Tennis Center, in Manhattan.
 
"Today wasn't a good day for us overall on the courts. We had opportunities in doubles but didn't find enough to close out the point in our favor," Mountaineer coach Miha Lisac said. "Despite losing the doubles point, we had a good opportunity to bounce back during singles play in first sets. Kansas State did a much better job than us capitalizing at the start of singles.
 
I hope we can take today's match and get better as a team as we turn our attention to a home weekend of matches."
 
West Virginia (7-13, 0-6 Big 12) started the day in doubles and battled back-and-forth against the Wildcats (9-9, 1-5 Big 12) in all three matches. Sophomore Momoko Nagato and freshman Kendall Kovick started the Mountaineers off with an advantage, as the pair defeated Florentine Dekkers and Ioana Gheorghita, 6-4.
 
In the No. 1 slot, No. 42-ranked pair of freshman Camilla Bossi and junior Ting-Pei Chang fell to Karine-Marion Job and Maria Linares, 6-4, leaving the doubles point up to senior Anastasiia Bovolskaia and freshman Tatiana Lipatova. The duo went neck-to-neck against Dinara Alloyarova and Manami Ukita, going 6-6, forcing the tie-break. Ultimately, Bovolskaia and Lipatova came up short, 7-6(4), to the Wildcats pair, giving Kansas State the advantage going into singles play.
 
Bovolskaia was the first to finish in singles play from the No. 2 match. Karine-Marion Job topped the senior in two-straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, before Kovick fell to Linares, in the No. 1 position, 6-2, 6-0.
 
In the No. 6 slot, Lipatova went back-and-forth against Anna Turco. The Wildcat outlasted the frshman, 6-4, 6-3, to secure the match for KSU.  
 
Doubles Results 
·       Karine-Marion Job/Maria Linares (KSU) def. Camilla Bossi/Ting-Pei Chang (WVU), 6-4
·       Momoko Nagato/Kendall Kovick (WVU) def. Florentine Dekkers/Ioana Gheorghita (KSU), 6-4
·       Dinara Alloyarova/Manami Ukita (KSU) def. Anastasiia Bovolskaia/Tatiana Lipatova (WVU), 7-6(4)
 
Singles Results
·       Maria Linares (KSU) def. Kendall Kovick (WVU), 6-2, 6-0
·       Karine-Marion Job (KSU) def. Anastasiia Bovolskaia (WVU), 6-1, 6-2
·       Florentine Dekkers (KSU) vs. Ting-Pei Chang (WVU), 6-3, 4-4, unfinished
·       Ioana Gheorghita (KSU) vs. Momoko Nagato (WVU), 7-5, 3-3, unfinished
·       Rosanna Maffei (KSU) vs. Camilla Bossi (WVU), 6-4, 5-1, unfinished
·       Anna Turco (KSU) def. Tatiana Lipatova (WVU), 6-4, 6-3
 
Looking Ahead
The Mountaineers are back in Morgantown, on April 8-10, for their home season finale as they play host to a pair of ranked Big 12 opponents. Leading off with No. 11 Oklahoma State on Friday, April 8, first serve against the Cowboys is set for 5 p.m. ET. Following Friday's contest, WVU concludes its home series against the No. 3-ranked Sooners, on Sunday, April 10, with first serve set for 11 a.m.
 
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