With a 6-3 victory over Minnesota State University Moorhead on Sunday, the Peacock tennis team finished the conference season with a 12-5 record overall and a 10-1 mark in the Northern Sun, finishing second in the NSIC standings behind Augustana. It's the third time Upper Iowa has finished second (2009, 2011) since winning the Northern Sun Conference title in 2008.
Sunday's matchup with the Dragons in Moorhead, Minn., proved to be the Peacocks toughest conference win of the season for Upper Iowa. UIU had won five conference matches 9-0, three matches 8-1 and one match 7-2 before beat MSUM 6-3.
Upper Iowa started the day by taking two of the three doubles matches, giving the #1 tandem of
Saki Kawabata and
Iris Verweij their tenth win of the season (10-1) in conference play, while the #2 pairing of
Yamit Vodavoz and
Victoria Kulbokas picked up their ninth NSIC win (9-2).
Verweij then had to battle her way to a #1 singles win after dropping the opening set 1-6. The Amsterdam native took the second set with ease, 6-2, before winning the tie-breaker 10-7. Kawabata was also forced to dig deep in her #2 singles match, winning in straight sets despite going to tie-breakers in both sets.
Upper Iowa has one more non-conference dual scheduled against Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on April 18, before heading to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championships in Lake Minnetonka, Minn. on April 24-25. The Peacocks will be the two-seed in NSIC tournament.
Doubles competition
1.
Saki Kawabata /
Iris Verweij (UIU) def. Andrea Rognlien / Morgan Smith (MSUM) 8-5
2.
Yamit Vodavoz /
Victoria Kulbokas (UIU) def. Ashley Wood / Jessamy Jones (MSUM) 8-2
3. Cassie Smith / Rebecca Lukes (MSUM) def.
Anna Okolot /
Kelly Jachymowski (UIU) 8-5
Singles competition
1. Verweij (UIU) def. Andrea Rognlien (MSUM) 1-6, 6-2 1-0 (10-7)
2. Kawabata (UIU) def. Jessamy Jones (MSUM) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3)
3. Vodavoz (UIU) def. Morgan Smith (MSUM) 6-0, 6-1
4. Ashley Wood (MSUM) def. Okolot (UIU) 6-1, 6-0
5. Kulbokas (UIU) def. Cassie Smith (MSUM) 6-0, 6-1
6. Rebecca Lukes (MSUM) def. Jachymowski (UIU) 7-6 (7-4), 6-1
