The Upper Iowa University women's tennis team fell by a score of 4-3 against Winona State University in their first dual of the 2021-22 season. The Peacocks picked up wins in No. 1, 3, and 4 singles, but a narrow loss in the doubles point proved to be the difference in the match.
RECAP... In their first dual of the season, the Peacocks opened play with a competitive trio of doubles matches. Upper Iowa won the first doubles match of the dual by a score of 6-3 as
Varvara Ogorodnikova and
Lina Ziani combined to give UIU an early edge. Winona State evened things with a 6-4 win in No. 1 doubles as
Charalampia Grammatikaki and
Jessa Michieli narrowly missed giving UIU an early lead in the dual. The Warriors clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 win in No. 3 doubles over
Padmasree Murugan and
Mya Herrmann to take a 1-0 lead in the dual.
In singles competition, Winona State started things off by doubling their lead to 2-0 with a 6-3, 6-0 win in No. 2 singles. The Warriors claimed a 6-2, 6-2 win in No. 6 singles to come within one point of clinching the dual, but Grammatikaki cut the UIU deficit to 3-1 with a 6-4, 7-6 win in the No. 1 singles match. The Peacocks looked to continue their comeback as
Lina Ziani brought the score within one at 3-2 after bouncing back from a loss in the first set to win the No. 4 singles match by a score of 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-7). WSU was able to thwart the UIU comeback effort as their 6-2, 6-3 win in No. 5 singles put the Warriors up 4-2 and clinched the dual. Ogorodnikova rounded things out for the Peacocks with a 6-3, 6-4 win in No. 3 singles as the dual ended with Winona State claiming a 4-3 win over Upper Iowa.
COACH'S QUOTE... "I am proud of this group even though we did not come up with the victory today. They showed character and did not give up in tough moments. In doubles, Lina (Ziani) and Varvara (Ogorodnikova) played a good match and picked up a great win. The other two doubles teams played well too, but a few small mistakes are what cost them the chance to win. We drastically improved over the course of last year and will keep building and getting stronger this year as well.
In singles, Charalampia (Grammatikaki) played a strong match against a very tough opponent. Varvara (Ogorodnikova) and Lina (Ziani) also showed great fight and picked up two well-deserved victories. The rest of the singles matches were good matches also, but we were a little bit too inconsistent to get the wins.
Winona State beat us 7-0 and finished 2nd in the conference last season. We were right there with them today, we pushed them hard, and we could have even picked up the win if a few more balls went our way. Overall, I am really proud of this group today. We will keep training hard, keep pushing each other to get better, and striving for success. We look forward to another really tough match tomorrow against Purdue-Northwest. Go Peacocks!" - Head Coach, Léo Millet
UP NEXT... The Peacocks will stay in Winona, Minn. for a dual against Purdue University - Northwest on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 12:30 p.m. Fans in the area can cheer on UIU from the stands at the Winona Tennis Center (360 Vila Street, Winona, Minn.). Masks are required for anyone in attendance.
Winona State 4, Upper Iowa 3
Singles competition
| 1. Grammatikaki, Charalampia [UIU] def. Murman, Beth [WSU] 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2. Kelly, Rachel [WSU] def. Michieli, Jessa [UIU] 6-3, 6-0 |
| 3. Ogorodnikova, Varvara [UIU] def. Niehoff, Marina [WSU] 6-3, 6-4 |
| 4. Ziani, Lina [UIU] def. Jorgenson, Brooklyn [WSU] 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-7) |
| 5. Anderson, Sara [WSU] def. Murugan, Padmasree [UIU] 6-2, 6-3 |
| 6. Holloway, Brooke [WSU] def. Herrmann, Mya [UIU] 6-2, 6-2 |
Doubles competition
| 1. Kelly, Rachel / Niehoff, Marina [WSU] def. Grammatikaki, Charalampia / Michieli, Jessa [UIU] 6-4 |
| 2. Ogorodnikova, Varvara / Ziani, Lina [UIU] def. Murman, Beth / Jorgenson, Brooklyn [WSU] 6-3 |
| 3. Anderson, Sara / Holloway, Brooke [WSU] def. Murugan, Padmasree / Herrmann, Mya [UIU] 6-3 |
