The Upper Iowa University women's tennis team secured a 6-1 win over the University of Minnesota Crookston to finish with a weekend split in a pair of NSIC duals. UIU swept all three doubles matches and picked up wins at Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 singles to cruise to victory. The Peacocks improve to a 5-4 (2-2 NSIC) record, while the Golden Eagles drop to 0-7 (0-7 NSIC).
RECAP... The Peacocks took an early 1-0 lead in the team dual with wins in all three doubles matches. The No. 2 doubles duo of
Varvara Ogorodnikova and
Lina Ziani got things started with a 6-0 win before the Peacock pairing of
Charalampia Grammatikaki and
Jessa Michieli clinched the doubles point with a 6-2 victory in the top doubles spot. UIU was not done yet as
Padmasree Murugan and
Elaina Wall picked up a hard-fought 7-6 win at No. 3 doubles by winning 7-5 in the tiebreak.
In singles competition, Ogorodnikova doubled the Upper Iowa advantage with a 6-1, 6-0 win in the No. 3 match. Grammatikaki kept the momentum going with a 6-2, 6-4 win in the No. 1 singles match to put UIU ahead 3-0 in the best-of-seven team dual. Michieli clinched the team win for the Peacocks with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles as UIU continued their run of straight-set wins.
Once again, the Peacocks were not done yet with three more singles matches to play. The Nos. 4, 5, and 6 singles matches finished in order, as Ziani notched a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 4. Murugan claimed the biggest win of the day with a 6-0, 6-0 win in the No. 5 singles match, putting UIU ahead 6-0 and continuing the stretch of wins in straight sets. The Peacocks could not secure a singles sweep as Wall fell 6-4, 6-1 in No. 6 singles after a competitive first set, and Upper Iowa ended the dual with a 6-1 win.
COACH'S QUOTE... "Really happy to bounce back today with a solid result. We definitely found better rhythm with our shots today and were able to play more aggressive tennis while avoiding unforced errors. We will need to prepare well this upcoming week for our next two matches against Southwest Minnesota State University and Minnesota State University, Mankato next weekend. Looking forward to those two matches! Go Peacocks!" - Head Coach, Léo Millet
UP NEXT... Upper Iowa heads to Mankato, Minn. for a pair of NSIC duals against Southwest Minnesota State University and Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Peacocks play the Mustangs on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 1 p.m., before a matchup with the Mavericks on Sunday, Feb. 27, at 8 a.m.
RESULTS...
Upper Iowa 6, Minnesota Crookston 1
Singles competition
1. Grammatikaki, Chara (UIU) def. Schneider, Madeleine (UMC) 6-2, 6-4
2. Michieli, Jessa (UIU) def. Swyter, Michelle (UMC) 6-2, 6-1
3. Ogorodnikova, Varvara (UIU) def. Velasquez, Sarah (UMC) 6-1, 6-0
4. Ziani, Lina (UIU) def. Achermann, Tasha (UMC) 6-3, 6-2
5. Murugan, Padmasree (UIU) def. Hinn, Kaydance (UMC) 6-0, 6-0
6. Chomyn, Ashley (UMC) def. Wall, Elaina (UIU) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Grammatikaki, Chara/Michieli, Jessa (UIU) def. Schneider, Madeleine/Velasquez, Sarah (UMC) 6-2
2. Ogorodnikova, Varvara/Ziani, Lina (UIU) def. Swyter, Michelle/Gutierrez, Samantha (UMC) 6-0
3. Murugan, Padmasree/Herrmann, Mya (UIU) def. Achermann, Tasha/Hinn, Kaydance (UMC) 7-6 (7-5)
