The Peacock tennis team got their non-championship season going this past Saturday in Decorah at Luther College. Upper Iowa earned a 5-4 victory over Luther to avenge a 7-2 loss at the hands of the Norse last fall. After the match, the team hopped right back on the courts to take on the College of St. Benedict , but fell 6-3.
Taking on Tradition
Luther has a women's tennis program that is rich with tradition and history in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, or IIAC. In fact, UIU had never defeated Luther before. Of course, few teams in the IIAC had; the Norse have won 25 of the conference's 31 Women's Tennis Championships including the first 19 straight.
Recap
Upper Iowa 5 – Luther 4
Luther took a 2-1 lead after the doubles matches with Upper Iowa's only win coming at #1 when newcomers
Iris Verweij and
Saki Kawabata teamed up for an 8-2 victory. The Peacocks made their rally during singles play earning wins at #1 through #4. Verweij, Kawabata,
Nicole Pothen and
Paige Olson all earned straight set wins. Luther won the matches at #5 and #6, but UIU had claimed their five points and the win. Upper Iowa also came out on top in three of the four exhibition matches played which are listed below.
St. Benedict 6 – Upper Iowa 3
Upper Iowa opened their match with St. Ben's with a 2-1 lead thanks to a pair of doubles win. Verweij and Pothen got together for an 8-3 win at #1 and Olson combined with Alexa Harrington for a dramatic 9-7 victory. St. Ben's stormed back in singles play with five wins in the six matches. The lone UIU win came at #3 singles where Kawabata earned a decisive 6-1, 6-3 victory.
Sounding Off
Head Coach Joey Barnes after the matches.
"I am happy with our results this past Saturday. It was our first set of matches of the season against two awesome teams. We've had less than a full week of practice and fitness and we had to battle against freshmen nerves, emotions, and the heat. I am proud of my team and look forward to the days that come."
The Scores
UIU 5 - Luther 4
Doubles:
1. Verweij, Iris/Kawabata, Saki (UIU) def Maggie Helms/Caroline Treis (LUTW) 8-2
2. Hailey Johnson/Lola White-Baer (LUTW) def Kulbokas, Victoria/Pothen, Nicole (UIU) 8-3
3. Olivia Heitz/Jenna Myers (LUTW) def Jachymowski, Kelly/Olson, Paige (UIU) 8-3
Singles:
1. Verweij, Iris (UIU) def. Lola White-Baer (LUTW) 6-0, 6-1
2. Kawabata, Saki (UIU) def Adriana DePaolis (LUTW) 7-5, 7-5
3. Pothen, Nicole (UIU) def Caroline Treis (LUTW) 6-0, 6-1
4. Olson, Paige (UIU) def. Jenna Myers (LUTW) 6-4, 6-4
5. Olivia Heitz (LUTW) def. Kulbokas, Victoria (UIU) 6-3, 6-3
6. Lauren Welch (LUTW) def Harington, Alexa (UIU) 6-2, 6-1
Exhibition Matches:
D: Morgan Winnie/Laura Alvarez (UIU) Def Lauren Welch/Abby Riley (LUTW) 8-3
S: Kelly Jachymowski (UIU) def Megan Wachholz (LUTW) 7-6 (7-3), 7-5
S: Morgan Winnie (UIU) def Molley Brown (LUTW) 7-6(8-6), 6-2
S: Addy Riley (LUTW) def Laura Alvarez (UIU) 6-0, 6-0
St. Benedict 6 – UIU 3
Doubles
1. Verweij, Iris/Pothen, Nicole (UIU) def Rupar, Daley/Beach, Victoria (St. Ben) 8-3
2. Hoffman, Jamie/Laura Finn (St. Ben) def Kawabata, Saki/Kulbokas, Victoria (UIU) 8 - 5
3. Olson, Paige/Harrington, Alexa (UIU) def Stocker, Erin/MacKenzie, Rixe (St. Ben) 9-7
Singles
1. Rupar, Daley (St. Ben) def Verweij, Iris (UIU) 6-2, 6-2
2. Hoffman, Jamie (St. Ben) def Pothen, Nicole (UIU) 6-3, 6-2
3. Kawabata, Saki (UIU) def Beach, Victoria (St. Ben) 6-1, 6-3
4. Finn, Laura (St. Ben) def Olson, Paige (UIU) 6-4, 6-3
5. Stocker, Erin (St. Ben) def Kulbokas, Victoria (UIU) 7-5, 6-1
6. Mackenzie, Rixe (St. Ben) def Jachymowski, Kelly (UIU) 6-2, 6-4
