Iowa State travels to Manhattan, Kansas, for its first Big 12 test against No. 58 Kansas State on Friday.
This match is also the first of a tough three-match road trip for Iowa State, the longest the team will have this season. Manhattan is the first stop before the Cyclones head to Stillwater, Oklahoma, and finally to Lawrence, Kansas, for head coach Jaron Maestas’ homecoming.
The Cyclones most recently lost a close match to the No. 52 Oregon Ducks 4-3 in Iowa City, Iowa, and they hope to continue to build off of their losses and turn them into wins.
The Cyclones have won the last three matches against the Wildcats, each with a score of 4-2. However, Kansas State has dominated the matchup historically, winning 27 matches to the Cyclones’ 14. The Wildcats flew through non-conference play and are coming into the match with a 6-2 record, having won their last two.
The first singles match between Anna Supapitch Kuearum and No. 58 Vanesa Suarez will be one to watch. Kuearum has been a strong point for the Cyclones all year but has really come on strong in her last two matches against Oregon and Iowa, making her singles record 4-3 overall. Suarez has been on a tear to begin the year with a record of 6-0 in singles.
The Cyclones and Wildcats have had two similar opponents in their non-conference schedules, which may be a good way to gauge how the teams stack up against each other. Both teams performed well against South Dakota, with Iowa State winning 4-2, and Kansas State 7-0. The teams had different results against Iowa, as Iowa State lost 5-2 while Kansas State had no trouble and won 4-1.
Kuearum and Isabella Dunlap, who are 4-1 in the first doubles spot, will look to continue their impressive start as a pairing against a Kansas State duo that has finished three matches together, going 2-1.
A win Friday would be the Cyclones’ first since Jan. 20, and a loss would extend their losing streak to six, which would be the longest since 2018-19 when they lost eight in a row.
Iowa State is ready for its first Big 12 match of the season against the No. 58 Kansas State Wildcats at 4 p.m. Friday in Manhattan, Kansas.
