April 12, 2003

LAWRENCE, Kan. - The 34th-ranked Kansas State tennis team knocked off in-state rival No 61 Kansas for the third time in four years and recorded its fifth-straight victory with a 5-2 win Saturday at Robinson Courts on the KU campus.

With the win, K-State improves to 11-4 overall and 6-2 in the Big 12 Conference. Kansas drops to 7-10 overall and 3-7 in the league.

"The 5-2 score wasn't an indication of what a struggle the match was for us today," Kansas State head coach Steve Bietau said. "I'm grateful and happy for the win, but we really struggled with inconsistency today. This was a huge win for us today for a lot of reasons. It keeps us alive in the big picture and puts us in a position to do different things and do things we want to do."

After winning the doubles point for the fourth-straight match, Kansas State jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the Wildcats won at No. 6 and No. 1 singles. Sophomore Andrea Cooper beat Kristen Steinbock, 6-3, 6-0, at No. 6 and improved to 10-3 in dual matches, 5-2 in the Big 12 and 16-9 overall. Senior Petra Sedlmajerova went two sets with Courtney Steinbock, winning 6-3, 6-2, at No. 1. She is now 10-5 in dual matches, 5-3 in the league and 15-10 overall.

Kansas picked up the first of its two points on the afternoon when Paige Brown snapped K-State's Jessica Simosa's three-match winning streak with a 6-3, 6-3 victory at No. 2. The Wildcat freshman is now 10-5 in dual matches, 5-3 in the conference and 14-11 overall. The Jayhawks drew within in one point of the Wildcats, 3-2, when junior Paulina Castillejos lost to Kim Lorenz, 6-3, 6-3 at No. 5. Castillejos falls to 7-8 in dual and overall matches and 4-4 in conference play.

Kansas State secured the win when sophomore Maria Rosenberg beat Emily Haylock, 7-6 (3), 6-4 at No. 3. The Manhattan High product is 12-3 in dual matches, 6-2 in the Big 12 and 17-8 overall. Junior Hayley McIver finished the scoring for Kansas State, beating Christine Skoda, 7-5, 5-7, (10-8) for her sixth straight win. The left-handed McIver improves to 11-3 in dual matches, 7-1 in the league and became the first Wildcat to register 20 wins in a season since Alena Jecminkova, Sedlmajerova and Eva Novotna all had 20-plus victories in 2000-01. McIver is 20-9 overall.

The Wildcat doubles teams set the pace for the rest of the match, winning two of the three matches. K-State's No. 1 doubles team of Sedlmajerova and Castillejos improved to 10-5 in dual matches, 4-4 in the league and 10-5 overall with an 8-4 win over Haylock and Kristen Steinbock. Kansas State's second doubles win was by Simosa and Rosenberg, who beat Lorenz and Skoda, 8-1, at No. 3. The Wildcat duo improves to 3-1 in dual, Big 12 and overall matches. Cooper and McIver had their three-match winning streak snapped when they lost to Courtney Steinbock and Brown, 9-7, at No. 2.

Kansas State returns to action April 15 when it hosts Nebraska at 2 p.m. at the Washburn Tennis Facility on the K-State campus.

(34) Kansas State vs. (61) Kansas
April 12, 2003 - Lawrence, Kan. - Robinson Courts
Team Score - Kansas State 5, Kansas 2
KSU Team Record: 11-4, 6-2. KU Team Record: 7-10, 3-7

Singles
1. Petra Sedlmajerova, KS def. Courtney Steinbock KU 6-3, 6-2
2. Paige Brown, KU def. Jessica Simosa, KS 6-3, 6-3
3. Maria Rosenberg, KS def. Emily Haylock KU 7-6 (3), 6-4
4. Hayley McIver, KS def. Christine Skoda KU 7-5, 5-7, (10-8)
5.Kim Lorenz, KU def. Paulina Castillejos, KS 6-3, 6-3
6. Andrea Cooper, KS def. Kristen Steinbock KU 6-3, 6-0

Doubles
1. Castillejos/Sedlmajerova, KS def. Haylock/K. Steinbock KU 8-4
2. C. Steinbock/Brown KU, def. Cooper/McIver, KS 9-7
3. Simosa/Rosenberg, KS def. Lorenz/Skoda, KU 8-1