For the first time since 2003, and just fourth time in program history, the Kansas State women’s tennis team earned a bid to the NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championship, the selection committee announced Tuesday. This is according to a release from K-State.
K-State (14-10) will travel to Evanston, Illinois, to face Kentucky (14-10), Friday, May 11 at 3 p.m., in the Round of 64 at Vandy Christie Tennis Center. The winner will advance to play the winner of pod-host Northwestern and Buffalo on Saturday, May 12.
“This is huge for the program,” said fourth-year head coach Danielle Steinberg. “When I first came here, I told people there’s no reason K-State shouldn’t be at nationals. We knew it was going to take time and the hope was that Year 4 would be the year.
“During the year, we had a lot of ups and downs … but I think we deserve it. This is a great reward for the way the girls competed all year, for the way they’ve worked hard every day. Maybe we didn’t have the best finish because of our schedule, but that doesn’t take away from everything that the girls did throughout the year.”
K-State owns a 3-3 record all-time in the NCAA Tournament, going as far as the Round of 16 in 2003. The Cats also reached the postseason in the 1996 and 1998 seasons.
The Wildcats finished the regular season tied for the third-highest win total in program history and most since 2011-12 season. The squad finished the regular season as the 42nd-ranked team in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings.
Kentucky ended the year as the No. 25 team in the ITA poll, falling in the second round of the SEC Tournament. K-State and Kentucky have never met.
