Friday, March 20
Manhattan, Kan.
4 p.m.
Kansas State University
2
vs
4
Baylor
Ranked Wildcats Suffer 4-2 Loss to #36 Baylor
Mar 20, 2026 | Tennis
#62 Wildcats will continue the weekend with another ranked opponent, #25 TCU
MANHATTAN, Kan.- The K-State women's tennis team battled in a tough ranked match up back at Mike Goss Tennis Stadium on Friday (March 20) in a 4-2 loss to Baylor.
#62 K-State (5-7, 2-4 Big 12) won the first doubles point in two weeks but three-set matches on five courts against #36 Baylor (10-4, 6-1 Big 12) was a hurdle the Wildcats could not surpass. The Cats are now 1-4 in ranked match ups so far this spring.
Junior Maralgoo Chogsomjav and freshman Martaa Chogsomjav, the Wildcats #54 ranked duo, battled back into the win column with a high scoring match over Zuzanna Kubacha and Gabrielle Villegas, 7-5 in the no. 1 spot. Freshman Sasha Kyselova and sophomore Chanel Rustemova also found success, defeating Kennedy Gibbs and Neda Rahimkhani 6-3 in the no. 3 position.
Freshmen Varvara Bernovich and Diana Smolinska were up in the no. 2 spot against Na Dong and Alian Zack before going unfinished at 5-4.
Bernovich was the lone Wildcat to find success in singles play and compete in straight sets. She played in the no. 6 position again for the first time since week one, securing her second conference win of the season as she swept Villegas 6-3, 6-3.
Martaa faced her second ranked opponent of the season while playing on the no. 1 court for the first time. Facing #37 Dong, she battled into three sets for just the second time since conference play. After going scoreless in the first set, Martaa battled back for a 6-4 victory in the next. Starting the last set she could not regain her momentum, only scoring one point for a 0-6, 6-4, 1-6 final.
Maralgoo faced a ranked opponent for a consecutive match, this time in the no. 2 spot. Battling against #117 Kubacha, she dropped the first set but came back in the second allowing her opponent fewer points at 6-2. Maralgoo kept fighting into the third set but could not secure the win at 3-6, 6-2, 4-6.
Smolinska started off strong in the no. 3 position against Mu-Jie Tzeng, securing the first set at 6-2. She started to face more resistance in the next set, coming up short 3-6 before she was only able to collect one point in the third set, falling 6-2, 3-6, 1-6.
The winning point came from the no. 4 court between Kyselova and Zack. The two split the first two sets with similar scores before going back and forth in the last set, Kyselova unable to hang on with a 3-6, 6-3, 4-6 final score.
Rustemova was the only Wildcat to go unfinished in her match, facing Luna Ivkovic in the no. 5 spot. She dropped the first set but came back in the second in a high scoring tiebreaker, her first since facing Cincinnati on February 27. After a 10-8 tiebreaker victory she was up in the final set 3-1 before stoppage.
K-State will continue the weekend at home on Sunday (March 22) facing #25 TCU (12-2, 6-1 Big 12) at 12 p.m., at Mike Goss Tennis Stadium.
FROM THE COURTS
Head Coach Jordan Smith
On the ability to win the match…
"That was a tough one, obviously, we played well enough to win. You know, it helps get another doubles point and playing good in singles. But you know, we just need a little bit more sense of urgency down stretch. And that was what kind of cost us that match at the end, but you know, we're getting better. I know it's a young team, but at some point you got to just take advantage of opportunities and we're just still not there yet."
On how they plan to handle the match against TCU…
"Just recover. Different conditions for us, but you know, we're an outdoor sport we got to get used to the heat. But biggest thing is, you know, we got to recover and get our mind back. And we need to take from today, but we need to also move past from today, you know, take what we learned and use it as a growing experience. But we can't carry anything from today into Sunday if it's going to hold us back."
Baylor vs K-State
Mike Goss Tennis Stadium
Manhattan, Kan.
#36 Baylor 4, #62 K-State 2
Singles Competition
1. #37 Na Dong (BU) def. Martaa Chogsomjav (KSU) 6-0, 4-6, 6-1
2. #117 Zuzanna Kubacha (BU) def. Maralgoo Chogsomjav (KSU) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
3. Mu-Jie Tzeng (BU) def. Diana Smolinska (KSU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
4. Alian Zack (BU) def. Sasha Kyselova (KSU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
5. Chanel Rustemova (KSU) vs. Luna Ivkovic (BU) 2-6, 7-6 (10-8), 3-1, unfinished
6. Varvara Bernovich (KSU) def. Gabrielle Villegas (BU) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. #54 Maralgoo Chogsomjav/Martaa Chogsomjav (KSU) def. Zuzanna Kubacha/Gabrielle Villegas (BU) 7-5
2. Varvara Bernovich/Diana Smolinska (KSU) vs. Na Dong/Alian Zack (BU) 5-4, unfinished
3. Sasha Kyselova/Chanel Rustemova (KSU) def. Kennedy Gibbs/Neda Rahimkhani (BU) 6-3
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on the K-State Women's Tennis Team, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
#62 K-State (5-7, 2-4 Big 12) won the first doubles point in two weeks but three-set matches on five courts against #36 Baylor (10-4, 6-1 Big 12) was a hurdle the Wildcats could not surpass. The Cats are now 1-4 in ranked match ups so far this spring.
Junior Maralgoo Chogsomjav and freshman Martaa Chogsomjav, the Wildcats #54 ranked duo, battled back into the win column with a high scoring match over Zuzanna Kubacha and Gabrielle Villegas, 7-5 in the no. 1 spot. Freshman Sasha Kyselova and sophomore Chanel Rustemova also found success, defeating Kennedy Gibbs and Neda Rahimkhani 6-3 in the no. 3 position.
Freshmen Varvara Bernovich and Diana Smolinska were up in the no. 2 spot against Na Dong and Alian Zack before going unfinished at 5-4.
Bernovich was the lone Wildcat to find success in singles play and compete in straight sets. She played in the no. 6 position again for the first time since week one, securing her second conference win of the season as she swept Villegas 6-3, 6-3.
Martaa faced her second ranked opponent of the season while playing on the no. 1 court for the first time. Facing #37 Dong, she battled into three sets for just the second time since conference play. After going scoreless in the first set, Martaa battled back for a 6-4 victory in the next. Starting the last set she could not regain her momentum, only scoring one point for a 0-6, 6-4, 1-6 final.
Maralgoo faced a ranked opponent for a consecutive match, this time in the no. 2 spot. Battling against #117 Kubacha, she dropped the first set but came back in the second allowing her opponent fewer points at 6-2. Maralgoo kept fighting into the third set but could not secure the win at 3-6, 6-2, 4-6.
Smolinska started off strong in the no. 3 position against Mu-Jie Tzeng, securing the first set at 6-2. She started to face more resistance in the next set, coming up short 3-6 before she was only able to collect one point in the third set, falling 6-2, 3-6, 1-6.
The winning point came from the no. 4 court between Kyselova and Zack. The two split the first two sets with similar scores before going back and forth in the last set, Kyselova unable to hang on with a 3-6, 6-3, 4-6 final score.
Rustemova was the only Wildcat to go unfinished in her match, facing Luna Ivkovic in the no. 5 spot. She dropped the first set but came back in the second in a high scoring tiebreaker, her first since facing Cincinnati on February 27. After a 10-8 tiebreaker victory she was up in the final set 3-1 before stoppage.
K-State will continue the weekend at home on Sunday (March 22) facing #25 TCU (12-2, 6-1 Big 12) at 12 p.m., at Mike Goss Tennis Stadium.
FROM THE COURTS
Head Coach Jordan Smith
On the ability to win the match…
"That was a tough one, obviously, we played well enough to win. You know, it helps get another doubles point and playing good in singles. But you know, we just need a little bit more sense of urgency down stretch. And that was what kind of cost us that match at the end, but you know, we're getting better. I know it's a young team, but at some point you got to just take advantage of opportunities and we're just still not there yet."
On how they plan to handle the match against TCU…
"Just recover. Different conditions for us, but you know, we're an outdoor sport we got to get used to the heat. But biggest thing is, you know, we got to recover and get our mind back. And we need to take from today, but we need to also move past from today, you know, take what we learned and use it as a growing experience. But we can't carry anything from today into Sunday if it's going to hold us back."
Baylor vs K-State
Mike Goss Tennis Stadium
Manhattan, Kan.
#36 Baylor 4, #62 K-State 2
Singles Competition
1. #37 Na Dong (BU) def. Martaa Chogsomjav (KSU) 6-0, 4-6, 6-1
2. #117 Zuzanna Kubacha (BU) def. Maralgoo Chogsomjav (KSU) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
3. Mu-Jie Tzeng (BU) def. Diana Smolinska (KSU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
4. Alian Zack (BU) def. Sasha Kyselova (KSU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
5. Chanel Rustemova (KSU) vs. Luna Ivkovic (BU) 2-6, 7-6 (10-8), 3-1, unfinished
6. Varvara Bernovich (KSU) def. Gabrielle Villegas (BU) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. #54 Maralgoo Chogsomjav/Martaa Chogsomjav (KSU) def. Zuzanna Kubacha/Gabrielle Villegas (BU) 7-5
2. Varvara Bernovich/Diana Smolinska (KSU) vs. Na Dong/Alian Zack (BU) 5-4, unfinished
3. Sasha Kyselova/Chanel Rustemova (KSU) def. Kennedy Gibbs/Neda Rahimkhani (BU) 6-3
-- k-statesports.com --
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on the K-State Women's Tennis Team, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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