April 22, 2001

MANHATTAN, KAN. - - Kaysie Smashey and Michelle Krinke earned straight-set victories at No. 5 and 6 singles, respectively, to help rally No. 21 Texas to a 4-3 victory over No. 42 Kansas State in a Big 12 Conference women's tennis match Sunday in Ahearn Field House.

The Longhorns, who have won 122 of their last 123 conference matches, trailed 3-2 going into the last two singles matches but swept the No. 5 and No. 6 singles matches to win their 10th conference match of the year. Of its nine losses on the season, K-State has lost seven of them by a 4-3 verdict, including both conference matches this weekend.

"We've worked awfully hard to break through to another level and we just haven't done it yet," said Wildcat head coach Steve Bietau. "The players are sick of losing 4-3."

At No. 5 singles, Kansas State's Hayley McIver led 1-0 over Smashey, but it would be her only lead of the match as Smashey won the next 11 games to take a 6-1, 5-0 lead before winning, 6-1, 6-1. At No. 6 singles, Krinke sealed the dual victory for the Longhorns with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Paulina Castillejos.

After Texas claimed the doubles point, the Wildcats got off to a fast start in singles play as they jumped ahead at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 singles. After Joanne Masongsong dispatched Eva Novotna, 6-1, 6-1, at No. 3, Petra Sedlmajerova upset No. 21-ranked Janet Walker at No. 2, 6-3, 7-5, while Kathy Chuda claimed victory on her seventh match point over Rebekah Forney at No. 4, 6-3, 6-4, to tie the match at two apiece. Masongsong's win ended Novotna's season-high nine match winning streak.

"We had a good start in singles and put ourselves in the match," said Bietau. "We definitely put ourselves in the position where winning the match was a real possibility."

Alena Jecminkova then earned a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 1 over No. 32-ranked Vladka Uhlirova to put Kansas State up 3-2 with just the two matches remaining. However, Texas' depth proved to be the difference as it won the remaining two matches in straight sets.

Texas took the doubles point as it won at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. The No. 14-ranked duo of Walker and Uhlirova defeated Jecminkova and Novotna at No. 1, 8-4, while Smashey and Forney won the last two games of the match to pull out a 9-7 win over Chuda and Sedlmajerova at No. 2. At No. 3, Castillejos and McIver rallied from a 7-4 deficit to defeat Masongsong and Ziva Grasic, 9-8 (4).

With the victory, Texas improved to 16-8 overall, 10-1 in the Big 12, while Kansas State fell to 11-9 overall, 7-4 in the Big 12. The Wildcats tie last year's school record for most conference victories. Kansas State will compete at the Big 12 Tournament in Waco, Texas, April 26-29.