The Wildcats had their ups and downs during their regular season; they dropped seven matches in a row before defeating the Kansas Jayhawks to end their regular season last Saturday. Now, they will begin their postseason play against the West Virginia Mountaineers. Interim head coach Liz Ullathorne said that last Saturday’s win can provide a lot of momentum.
“It was a long three weeks for us and getting that win enabled us to get some confidence back,” Ullathorne said. “Not only the win but how they did it. It was 6-1; it wasn’t close. A lot of them played some really good tennis.”
K-State (9-12, 3-6 Big 12) did not find a lot of success against conference competition this year. Fortunately, one team the Wildcats have found success against are the Mountaineers. K-State leads the all-time series 3-0.
For senior Petra Niedermayerova, this could be her last time playing with the rest of her teammates. Niedermayerova, who is expected to make nationals as a singles player, will lead the Wildcats into this week’s competition.
“Honestly I think i’m going to realize it a little later, like right now I just think that we are going on the road, going to travel, going to play some matches,” Niedermayerova said. “I’m thinking more of the tennis side of it.”
Niedermayerova already holds the record for all-time singles wins in program history, boasting 103-42.
In the second singles slot is another upperclassman, junior Amina St. Hill. Her record this season is 16-13 overall. St. Hill and Niedermayerova combine to make the No. 1 doubles team for the Wildcats, holding a season record of 9-5.
“She’s a great teammate, but she’s also my best friend outside of the court,” St. Hill said about Niedermayerova. “I think that us playing doubles together and having her as my captain is really important to me because she is there not only for tennis, but also for personal stuff.”
The match will begin at 10 a.m Thursday morning from Fort Worth, Texas.
