TCU Takes Down No. 45 Kansas

Friday, March 12

Fort Worth, Texas

3 PM

TCU

Kansas

TCU Takes Down No. 45 Kansas

3/12/2021 8:49:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Stevie Kennedy clinches the match in a Friday night thriller

FORT WORTH – No. 49 TCU women's tennis (7-5, 1-1) earned its first Big 12 Conference victory of the new season in dramatic style, taking down No. 45 Kansas, 4-3, on Friday night at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center in Fort Worth. TCU won the doubles point before a furious comeback from Stevie Kennedy clinched the win in a three-set tiebreak, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4).

"Just a massive team win," head coach Lee Taylor Walker said. "All six players on the court got wins in either singles or doubles to help us get our first ranked win of the year. The doubles point was huge, it was our first doubles point against a ranked opponent all year, the new combos certainly have helped. Everybody contributed tonight. We've been through a lot together, on and off the court, including being on the wrong end of a couple 4-3 scores, so I'm really happy that they got to get this winning feeling again. Stevie was the MVP tonight. She hadn't practiced all week, battling an injury. She was a game time decision for whether or not to play singles and she said she wanted to play. That's a big time effort for her to be able to go the distance and get a huge win. I'm very proud of this team's compete level and belief in each other tonight."

TCU gained a crucial doubles point with its new, revamped lineup, collecting wins at No. 1 and No. 3 to take a 1-0 lead in the dual. The Horned Frogs battled through a grueling singles competition, finishing with wins at No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5, to earn their seventh win of the season.

DOUBLES QUICK HITS

TCU utilized its revamped doubles lineup for the second match in a row to take the doubles points with wins at No. 1 and No. 3.
TCU is now 4-0 in doubles matches since changing the lineup.
The top pairing of Mercedes Aristegui and Isabel Pascual Montalvo delivered the first win, 6-4, on court one.
They are now 5-3 as a doubles team on the season and 3-3 as the top pairing.
Addy Guevara and Tate Schroeder clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 win on court three.
This was their second match together, they are an unblemished, 2-0.
This was Guevara's 11^th doubles win of the new year, improving her dual doubles record to 8-4.
Schroeder improves to 5-4 in dual doubles competition with the win.
The Horned Frogs improve to 23-16 in doubles matches this season.

Doubles Results
1. Isabel Pascual/Mercedes Aristegui (TCU) def. Sonia Smagina/Vasiliki Karvouni (KU) 6-4
2. Marie Norris/Stevie Kennedy (TCU) vs. Malkia Ngounoue/Julia Deming (KU) 3-4, unfinished
3. Tate Schroeder/Addy Guevara (TCU) def. Carmen Roxana Manu/Tiffany Lagarde (KU) 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 3

SINGLES QUICK HITS

This was TCU's first win over a ranked opponent this season and its first since March, 2019.
TCU split the six singles matches, 3-3, collecting wins from Marie Norris, Isabel Pascual Montalvo and Stevie Kennedy.
Pascual snatched the first win of the day on court five, winning nine of the last 10 games to collect a 7-5, 6-1 victory.
This was her second straight victory at No. 4 singles, and the second of her career. She is now 2-2 at No. 4.
Pascual improves to 6-4 this season in singles play, 4-3 in duals.
Norris put TCU back in front, 3-2, with a straight-set win at No. 2, 6-3, 6-4.
This was her ninth win of the dual season and her 12^th overall singles win of 2021, the most on the team.
Norris has now won three straight singles matches and four straight matches overall.
Stevie Kennedy delivered the clinching win at No. 5, battling back from down, 3-5, in her third set to force a tiebreaker and eventually win the tiebreak, 7-4.
She improves to 6-4 in dual action this season and 1-0 at the No. 5 slot.
This was her second tiebreaker set of the season, she is 2-0 in the clutch moments.
The Horned Frogs improve to 35-23 in singles matches this dual season.

Singles Results
1. #81 Sonia Smagina (KU) def. #46 Tate Schroeder (TCU) 6-3, 6-1
2. #68 Marie Norris (TCU) def. Malkia Ngounoue (KU) 6-3, 6-4
3. Carmen Roxana Manu (KU) def. Mercedes Aristegui (TCU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
4. Isabel Pascual Montalvo (TCU) def. Vasiliki Karvouni (KU) 7-5, 6-1
5. Stevie Kennedy (TCU) def. Tiffany Lagarde (KU) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6
6. Julia Deming (KU) def. Addy Guevara (TCU) 6-1, 6-1
Order of finish – 6, 1, 4, 2, 3, 5

Up Next
TCU will be looking for its second Big 12 upset of the weekend when it takes on No. 43 Kansas State on Sunday, March 14 at 1 p.m.

For more information on TCU women's tennis, visit gofrogs.com and follow the team on social media: @TCUWomensTennis on twitter and Facebook, @tcuwomenstennis on Instagram.