May 15, 2003

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The Cinderella season for the Kansas State tennis team ended Thursday when it lost to fifth-ranked Southern California, 4-0, in the Round of 16 of the 2003 NCAA Division I Team Tennis Tournament at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex on the University of Florida campus.

"USC was just too good. We didn't start too good," head coach Steve Bietau said. "The combination of missing Cooper (Andrea) for sure, weakening our doubles, playing in this environment for the first time and then the quality of USC's play. Add all those things up and it really took us awhile to get into the match and once it got to the singles portion they were just better."

K-State finishes the season with a 15-8 overall record, the most wins in school history. USC improves to 22-5 and advances to the Elite Eight.

"It's been a great year. I've been coaching for almost 25 years and I've never had a group of players that I've appreciated the opportunity to coach more than these guys," Bietau said. "I'm just real happy for them for getting a chance to get here and accomplishing all the things they have accomplished this year."

For senior Petra Sedlmajerova, the USC match was her final as a Wildcat. She had to abandoned both her singles and doubles matches, but was happy with the how her career ended.

"It was a great season. It was the best season I have had in the four years," Sedlmajerova said. "I'm really happy I got to finish like that."

Kansas State fell behind early in singles, losing at No. 6. Freshman Aveen Alkhatib, who played in place of sophomore Andrea Cooper who was ineligible for the match, lost 6-1, 6-0 to Carine Vermeulen. The Wildcats were down 3-0 when sophomore Maria Rosenberg lost 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2 to Luana Magnani, who was ranked 21st in the April 28 Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. USC's match point came at No. 3 singles when Wildcat freshman Jessica Simosa lost 6-2, 6-2 to 62nd-ranked Maureen Diaz.

USC won the doubles point, winning two of the three matches. Junior Hayley McIver and Alkhatib lost 8-1 to Vermeulen and Melissa Esmero at No. 3 and Rosenberg and Simosa fell 8-2 to Anita Loyola and Magnani at No. 2.

(45) Kansas State 0 vs. (5) Southern California 4
Ring Tennis Complex, Un. of Florida, Gainesville
NCAA Round of 16
KSU 15-8 USC 22-5

Singles
1. Petra Sedlmajerova Jewel Peterson abandoned
2. Luana Magnani, USC def. Maria Rosenberg, KS 6-3, 6-1
3. Maureen Diaz, USC def. Jessica Simosa, KS 6-2, 6-2
4. Hayley McIver Anita Loyola abandoned
5. Paulina Castillejos Tiffany Brymer abandoned
6. Carine Vermeulen, USC def. Aveen Alkhatib, KS 6-1, 6-0

Doubles
1. Sedlmajerova/Castillejos Peterson/Brymer abandoned
2. Loyola/Magnani, USC def. Simosa/Rosenberg, KS 8-2
3. Vermeulen/Melissa Esmero, USC def. McIver/Alkhatib, KS 8-1