DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake women's tennis team suffered a pair of non-conference losses this weekend to begin their 2023-24 spring schedule. The Bulldogs were beaten at Kansas State (1/20) in the spring debut before returning home to Des Moines where they fell short against Wichita State (1/21).
 

Kansas State 6, Drake 1
The Bulldogs kicked off their spring campaign on the road at Big 12 foe Kansas State. The Wildcats were looking to improve upon a dismal 2023 season where they finished with just two total wins. K-State was able to sweep the singles portion of Saturday's match to control the contest.
 
The Bulldogs found some success in the doubles competition as Darinka Stepan and Mille Haagensen, the 2023 MVC champions in the fall, picked up a win in the top spot. Rebecca Ehn and Ines Stephani were also victorious by an identical score of 6-4.
 
Kansas State extended their all-time series lead over Drake to 8-0.
 
Wichita State 5, Drake 2
The Bulldogs aimed to bounce back on Sunday with their home opener vs. Wichita State. The Shockers flipped the script in doubles play, quickly taking the first two matches to earn that point.
 
Drake got off to a solid start in singles action as they did their best to rally. Ines Stephani won convincingly and Mille Haagensen fought back from a deficit to take the first two individual matches. That's where the Bulldogs' luck ran out, though, as Wichita State turned it on to secure the 5-2 victory.
 

"I'm pleased with the way we competed to start the year," second-year Bulldog head coach Breaunna Addison said. "We got off to a good start [at K-State] by securing the doubles point and fought hard in each singles line to put ourselves in a position to win there. We need to clean up the unforced errors and execute better on offense. We're looking forward to another opportunity to compete and get one percent better."
 
The Bulldogs will split their next weekend of action again as they host Milwaukee on Friday, Jan. 26 before traveling to the Panthers' home city for a date with Marquette on Sunday, Jan. 28.
 
 
SINGLES vs. KANSAS STATE (ORDER OF FINISH – 2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6)
1. Vanesa Suarez (KSU) def. Ines Stephani (DU) 6-3, 6-4
2. Manami Ukita (KSU) def. Mille Haagensen (DU) 6-3, 6-1
3. Veronika Kulhava (KSU) def. Elizabete Klavinska (DU) 6-2, 6-4
4. Charlotte Keitel (KSU) def. Rebecca Ehn (DU) 6-2, 6-1
5. Tereza Polakova (KSU) def. Darinka Stepan (DU) 6-4, 6-0
6. Maria Santos (KSU) def. Nicole Lee (DU) 6-3, 6-3
 
DOUBLES vs. KANSAS STATE (ORDER OF FINISH – 3, 2, 1)
1. Darinka Stepan/Mille Haagensen (DU) def. Veronika Kulhava/Tereza Polakova (KSU) 6-4
2. Rebecca Ehn/Ines Stephani (DU) def. Vanesa Suarez/Manami Ukita (KSU) 6-4
3. Jillian Harkin/Charlotte Keitel (KSU) def. Nicole Lee/Elizabete Klavinska (DU) 6-2
 
 
SINGLES vs. WICHITA STATE (ORDER OF FINISH – 2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6)
1.Ines Stephani (DU) def. Natsumi Kurahashi (WICH) 6-1, 6-2
2. Mille Haagensen (DU) def. Kristina Kudryavtseva (WICH) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
3. Anne Knuettel (WICH) def. Elizabete Klavinska (DU) 6-0, 6-0
4. Jessica Anzo (WICH) def. Rebecca Ehn (DU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Giorgia Roselli (WICH) def. Darinka Stepan (DU) 6-3, 6-1
6. Theodora Chantava (WICH) def. Nicole Lee (DU) 6-1, 6-3
 
DOUBLES vs. WICHITA STATE (ORDER OF FINISH – 3, 1)
1. Kristina Kudryavtseva/Anne Knuettel (WICH) def. Darinka Stepan/Mille Haagensen (DU) 6-4
2. Rebecca Ehn/Ines Stephani (DU) vs. Natsumi Kurahashi/Xin Tong Wang (WICH) DNF
3. Giorgia Roselli/Theodora Chantava (WICH) def. Elizabete Klavinska/Nicole Lee (DU) 6-0