After dropping the doubles point, No. 19 Kansas responded by winning all six singles matches to claim a 6-1 win over Wichita State on Sunday at the Jayhawk Tennis Center. It capped a 2-0 clip on the weekend for the Jayhawks, who earned a 7-0 victory over Drake on Saturday.
Wichita State (1-2) jumped to an early lead by winning the doubles point. KU’s duo of Maria Toran Ribes and Carmen Roxana Manu notched the team’s only doubles win with a 6-3 victory over Natsumi Kurahashi and Alexandra Lazarova.
“In singles, I thought our competitiveness was better, and we were definitely pushed into some uncomfortable situations,” Kansas head coach Todd Chapman said in a team release. “I thought the team did a good job of stepping up and playing the right way in the big moments.”
Toran Ribes started singles play off by defeating Kurahashi of WSU, 6-1, 6-1. Sonia Smagina, who is ranked No. 63 in the nation, then knocked off Sarvinoz Saidhujaeva of WSU in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. Freshman Luniuska Delgado recorded a two-set win of 6-4, 6-3.
Malkia Ngounoue, ranked No. 93 in the nation, defeated Esther Thebault in a back-and-forth contest, which resulted in a 7-5, 6-4 victory for the KU sophomore.
Both Vasiliki Karvouni and Manu took their opponents to tie-breakers. Clinching the match for KU was Karvouni, who held on for a 6-3, 7-6 triumph over Marta Bellucco. Manu rallied a come-from-behind effort where she posted an impressive 5-7, 7-6, 10-6 win over WSU’s Lazarova.
Kansas will host the ITA Kickoff Weekend, which begins with a first-round matchup against No. 22 Tennessee on Friday.
