Upper Iowa’s tennis squad opened the 2011 spring season Sunday afternoon by travelling to the Baseline Center in Minneapolis, Minn. for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference dual against the Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth.  Upper Iowa won all but one match in the dual and collected an 8-1 victory over UMD.

In doubles action, the Central Region’s top-ranked doubles pair of Amanda Nunez and Karli Loewecke made short work of the UMD’s #1 doubles team, 8-2.  At #2 doubles, Anastasia Dabiza and Courtney Romer picked up an 8-3 victory over Brittany Thompson and Anna Bertrang of Minnesota Duluth while Nicole Henry and Jennah Smith capped off a UIU doubles sweep by defeating UMD’s #3 doubles squad, 8-5.

In the singles portion of the matchup, Upper Iowa collected five of the six contests to win the dual, 8-1.

Nunez, the third-ranked player in the Central Region, defeated Carrie Dahlman 6-3, 6-3 while Dabiza, the ninth-ranked player in the region easily won her individual match over Katie Bolf of UMD 6-1, 6-1.  Loewecke defeated her Bulldog opponent 6-3, 6-2 while Romer defeated UMD’s Bertrang for the second time of the afternoon 6-0, 6-1.

Henry was a 6-3, 6-2 winner at #5 singles before Jennifer Nielsen dropped her match at #6 singles 6-3, 6-1.

The Upper Iowa tennis team will be back on the courts this Saturday and Sunday with three more NSIC duals in Minneapolis.  On Saturday, the Peacocks will take on Winona State and MSU Moorhead before Sunday’s clash with the #1-ranked team in the region, Augustana.