MANHATTAN, Kan. It took the heroics of a freshman and senior, but the 10^th-seeded Kansas State women’s tennis team pulled the first round upset over No. 7 seed Nebraska on Thursday afternoon in the 2008 Big 12 Women’s Tennis Championships at George P. Mitchell Tennis Center, 4-3.

The win by the Wildcats avenged a 6-1 loss to the Huskers in the regular season finale on Sunday in Lincoln, Neb. This is the first win in the Big 12 Championships for K-State since defeating Oklahoma 4-0 in the 2006 first round.

“It was an exciting match, a great college tennis match,” said Kansas State head coach Steve Bietau. “I was really happy with our team. We had better performances on every court in the doubles. To come back and win this - I thought playing them outside would help us a little bit and I think it did.”

K-State (8-13) trailed 3-2 with singles matches remaining at the number one and four positions. At number four, freshman Vanessa Cottin was locked in a heated comeback against Stephanie Evans after dropping the first set 6-1. Cottin captured the second set with a 7-6 (4) decision. The Ouainville, France native completed the comeback with a 6-4 win in the third set and evened the match score at 3-3.

The win avenged a loss Cottin suffered last Sunday in Lincoln to Evans in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1. The win brings Cottin’s record this season to 6-16 and is her second win in her last three matches.

Minutes after Cottin’s three-set win, senior Viviana Yrureta capped the Wildcats’ upset bid with a three-set win of her own over Imke Reimers, 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (10). Yrureta was defeated on Sunday in Lincoln by Reimers in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0. The product Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela has a 17-15 singles record this season and is 11-9 from the number one position this spring.

Nebraska (16-7) took a 2-1 lead with singles wins at the number three and six positions. The match was tied at 2-2 following the first singles win on the afternoon for K-State. Freshman Antea Huljev defeated Wiveca Swarting in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, at the number two singles to jump start the Wildcats. The win by the Velenje, Slovenia, product brings her record to 16-17 in her rookie campaign and avenged a three-set loss to Swarting on Sunday in Lincoln.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Wildcats captured their fourth straight doubles point with a sweep of the two completed doubles matches. The number three duo of Yrureta and sophomore Natasha Vieira won 8-2 over Amber Chandronnait and Evans. K-State secured the point, as the number one pair of senior Olga Klimova and junior Katerina Kudlackova defeated the No. 52 ranked duo of Jana Albers and Reimers, 8-5. K-State is 8-3 this season when capturing the doubles point.

“We’ve been playing good doubles, so I felt good going into the doubles and it didn’t shock me that we got the doubles point,” stated Bietau. “But this was really a great effort on their part in the singles.”  

Kansas State advances to the quarterfinals of the 2008 Big 12 Women’s Tennis Championships and will play No. 2 seed Texas on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m.

Kansas State (8-13, 3-8 Big 12) vs. (67) Nebraska (16-7, 5-6 Big 12)

Big 12 Championships First Round

April 24, 2008

College Station, Texas George P. Mitchell Tennis Center

Final Results

Nebraska 3, Kansas State 2

Doubles
No. 1 Olga Klimova/Katerina Kudlackova (KSU) def. (52) Jana Albers/Imke Reimers (NU) def., 8-5
No. 2 Vanessa Cottin/Antea Huljev (KSU) def. Wiveca Swarting/Maria Ring (NU), 7-6 DNF
No. 3 Natasha Vieira/Viviana Yrureta (KSU) def. Amber Chandronnait/Stephanie Evans (NU), 8-2

Order of Finish: 3, 1

Singles
No. 1 Viviana Yrureta (KSU) def. Imke Reimers (NU); 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (10)
No. 2 Antea Huljev (KSU) def. Wiveca Swarting (NU); 6-4, 6-1
No. 3 Jana Albers (NU) def. Katerina Kudlackova (KSU); 6-1, 6-1
No. 4 Vanessa Cottin (KSU def. Stephanie Evans (NU); 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4
No. 5 Amber Chandronnait (NU) def. Natasha Vieira (KSU); 7-6 (4), 6-0
No. 6 Ashley Finnegan (NU) def. Pauline Guemas (KSU); 6-4, 6-3