The Chogsomjav Connection
Apr 02, 2026 | Tennis, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
They had never faced this type of test before. They were sisters, two years apart in age, grew up in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, were best friends, and touched a tennis racquet for the first time at a young age, but Kansas State junior Maralgoo and freshman Martaa Chogsomjav opened this tennis season in doubles competition against the highly-regarded duo of Jade Groen and Rinon Okuwaki of No. 21 Clemson at Homestead Country Club in Kansas City, Kansas, on January 30.
Mighty Clemson had the reputation. K-State had the freshman.
And Martaa, in the first official match of her college career, teamed up with Maralgoo to defeat Groen and Okuwaki on the No. 1 court, 6-2. Then Maralgoo finished things off in the No. 1 spot in singles by beating Groen at 6-3, 6-3.
Maralgoo and Martaa will have more doubles matches together.
But they'll always remember their first one.
"My favorite match this season?" Maralgoo says. "My sister and I beat that high-ranked doubles team at Clemson, and it felt really good, especially playing with my sister. It was special. It was her first college match."
K-State continues the grind of the Big 12 Conference season and is led by the "Chogsomjav Connection" of Maralgoo and Martaa, who in their first season together, rank No. 1 and No. 2 in overall wins for the Wildcats. Maralgoo has an 8-8 record, and Martaa is just behind her at 7-7. Together, they lead K-State with a 9-6 record in doubles matches and are 7-5 in the No. 1 spot.
"Maggie says I'm a competitive person," Martaa says. "I hate losing. It's been a good experience, but sometimes it's hard. Our first match together, I was so nervous. I tried to play good. My sister is good at playing really good and she's good at leading, and that's why we won.
"I actually didn't know the Clemson girls were ranked. When I found out, I was so happy."
K-State travels to UCF on Friday, then visits Houston on Sunday, before closing out against Iowa State on April 10 and Kansas on April 12 in Manhattan. It's been a grueling haul with ups and downs along the way, but Maralgoo and Martaa wouldn't trade the time they have together playing the sport that they love.
"My sister is everything," Martaa says. "We're so close. She's there everywhere we go. We're always together. She's my closest friend and everything."
It was a tough two years apart for the sisters before they were reunited in the United States.
"It's a lot of fun being on the same team with Martaa," Maralgoo says. "I'm not the type of person to talk on the phone, so we didn't talk a lot before she joined me here. Now we have more communication. My life in Mongolia is almost here except for our parents. Martaa is very special. She's the closest person to me."
The journey began when Maralgoo was age 7. That's when she picked up a tennis racquet for the first time. Martaa wanted to be like her sister and was extremely competitive, so of course, little sister followed. But the sisters faced some hardship of sorts given the fact that there were no tennis courts in Mongolia nor international competition. Practices with their coach were relegated to gyms and basketball courts. Once they learned their craft, they had to travel to other countries to find competitions.
But from an early age, Maralgoo had a feeling that tennis could take her places.
"There was a girl one year older than me, and she was better than me," Maralgoo says. "I beat her and practiced all summer non-stop. Then there was another girl when I was 13 who was three years older than me. After I beat her, I thought I could beat anyone after that. Because I played tennis for so long, it was just a part of my life, and I just kept doing it."
Although Maralgoo aspired to travel to the United States and play for a college, there was some pushback.
"People said it was impossible," she says.
But that changed when she played in a tournament when she was 18 years old and earned her first ranking.
"That's when my coach in Mongolia said, 'If you go to America, you'll have more opportunities,'" Maralgoo says. "That's when I realized that I had a chance to go to the U.S. Then K-State coach Jordan Smith found me. And now I'm here."
Maralgoo followed up her honor of being on the 2024 Big 12 All-Freshman Team by earning 2025 Second Team All-Big 12 honors.
During this past offseason, she received a treat when Martaa chose to join her at K-State.
"After Maggie went to America, I realized I could do it as well," Martaa says. "We tried so hard as kids. Our parents and coaches back home were so supportive of us coming here. Maggie went to K-State, so I wanted to go. I went on an official visit and really liked it. My sister is my everything. We're so close. Whenever we do something, we do it together."
That includes playing doubles for the Wildcats.
"I'm really excited to play with my sister and win more games," Martaa says. "The Big 12 is so competitive. Since I've come here, I've become more aggressive. I really want us to finish out with all wins."
They had never faced this type of test before. They were sisters, two years apart in age, grew up in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, were best friends, and touched a tennis racquet for the first time at a young age, but Kansas State junior Maralgoo and freshman Martaa Chogsomjav opened this tennis season in doubles competition against the highly-regarded duo of Jade Groen and Rinon Okuwaki of No. 21 Clemson at Homestead Country Club in Kansas City, Kansas, on January 30.
Mighty Clemson had the reputation. K-State had the freshman.
And Martaa, in the first official match of her college career, teamed up with Maralgoo to defeat Groen and Okuwaki on the No. 1 court, 6-2. Then Maralgoo finished things off in the No. 1 spot in singles by beating Groen at 6-3, 6-3.
Maralgoo and Martaa will have more doubles matches together.
But they'll always remember their first one.
"My favorite match this season?" Maralgoo says. "My sister and I beat that high-ranked doubles team at Clemson, and it felt really good, especially playing with my sister. It was special. It was her first college match."
K-State continues the grind of the Big 12 Conference season and is led by the "Chogsomjav Connection" of Maralgoo and Martaa, who in their first season together, rank No. 1 and No. 2 in overall wins for the Wildcats. Maralgoo has an 8-8 record, and Martaa is just behind her at 7-7. Together, they lead K-State with a 9-6 record in doubles matches and are 7-5 in the No. 1 spot.
"Maggie says I'm a competitive person," Martaa says. "I hate losing. It's been a good experience, but sometimes it's hard. Our first match together, I was so nervous. I tried to play good. My sister is good at playing really good and she's good at leading, and that's why we won.
"I actually didn't know the Clemson girls were ranked. When I found out, I was so happy."
K-State travels to UCF on Friday, then visits Houston on Sunday, before closing out against Iowa State on April 10 and Kansas on April 12 in Manhattan. It's been a grueling haul with ups and downs along the way, but Maralgoo and Martaa wouldn't trade the time they have together playing the sport that they love.
"My sister is everything," Martaa says. "We're so close. She's there everywhere we go. We're always together. She's my closest friend and everything."
It was a tough two years apart for the sisters before they were reunited in the United States.
"It's a lot of fun being on the same team with Martaa," Maralgoo says. "I'm not the type of person to talk on the phone, so we didn't talk a lot before she joined me here. Now we have more communication. My life in Mongolia is almost here except for our parents. Martaa is very special. She's the closest person to me."
The journey began when Maralgoo was age 7. That's when she picked up a tennis racquet for the first time. Martaa wanted to be like her sister and was extremely competitive, so of course, little sister followed. But the sisters faced some hardship of sorts given the fact that there were no tennis courts in Mongolia nor international competition. Practices with their coach were relegated to gyms and basketball courts. Once they learned their craft, they had to travel to other countries to find competitions.
But from an early age, Maralgoo had a feeling that tennis could take her places.
"There was a girl one year older than me, and she was better than me," Maralgoo says. "I beat her and practiced all summer non-stop. Then there was another girl when I was 13 who was three years older than me. After I beat her, I thought I could beat anyone after that. Because I played tennis for so long, it was just a part of my life, and I just kept doing it."
Although Maralgoo aspired to travel to the United States and play for a college, there was some pushback.
"People said it was impossible," she says.
But that changed when she played in a tournament when she was 18 years old and earned her first ranking.
"That's when my coach in Mongolia said, 'If you go to America, you'll have more opportunities,'" Maralgoo says. "That's when I realized that I had a chance to go to the U.S. Then K-State coach Jordan Smith found me. And now I'm here."
Maralgoo followed up her honor of being on the 2024 Big 12 All-Freshman Team by earning 2025 Second Team All-Big 12 honors.
During this past offseason, she received a treat when Martaa chose to join her at K-State.
"After Maggie went to America, I realized I could do it as well," Martaa says. "We tried so hard as kids. Our parents and coaches back home were so supportive of us coming here. Maggie went to K-State, so I wanted to go. I went on an official visit and really liked it. My sister is my everything. We're so close. Whenever we do something, we do it together."
That includes playing doubles for the Wildcats.
"I'm really excited to play with my sister and win more games," Martaa says. "The Big 12 is so competitive. Since I've come here, I've become more aggressive. I really want us to finish out with all wins."
Players Mentioned
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