The Upper Iowa University women's tennis team fell 5-2 against Winona State University in Winona, Minn. UIU picked up wins in the Nos. 4 and 5 singles spots, but WSU swept the doubles matches and won singles 1, 2, 3, and 6. The Peacocks drop to an 8-6 (5-4 NSIC) record, while the Warriors improve to 13-3 (8-1 NSIC).
RECAP... Despite some competitive contests, Winona State set the tone early by sweeping the doubles matches to take a 1-0 lead. WSU's duo of Beth Murman and Sara Anderson improved to 14-0 in No. 2 doubles with a 6-3 win over
Charalampia Grammatikaki and
Jessa Michieli to open the dual. WSU clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win over
Varvara Ogorodnikova and
Lina Ziani at No. 1 before sweeping the doubles matches with a 6-4 win over
Padmasree Murugan and
Mya Herrmann at No. 3.
In singles competition, the Warriors added two points to their team lead by defeating Herrmann 6-0, 6-0 at No. 6 and winning 6-0, 6-3 over Michieli at No. 3. Ziani picked up a point for the Peacocks with a 6-4, 6-3 win in the No. 4 singles match to keep WSU from clinching the match and cut the score to 3-1.
Winona State clinched the dual with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Ogorodnikova in the No. 2 spot, 4-1. Grammatikaki, the reining NSIC Player of the Week, endured her first singles loss in 2022 in a back-and-forth, three-set battle with WSU's Rachel Kelly in the top singles spot, falling 7-5, 4-6, 10-8. Murugan rounded out the day with a nice 7-5, 6-4 win in a competitive No. 5 singles match as the dual ended with a 5-2 WSU lead on the scoreboard.
COACH'S QUOTE... "We started way too slow in doubles. We were able to come back, but it is hard to come back from 5-1 down against good teams like Winona State. We also had chances to finish points by poaching, but an inability to put the ball away cost us. In singles, we picked up two good victories at 4 and 5. For the rest of the matches, we struggled to find our rhythm and made way too many unforced errors to have a chance to win those matches. Everybody fought hard today, and no one gave up, but we need to learn from today and continue to work hard at practice to avoid making the same mistake next time." - Head Coach, Léo Millet
UP NEXT... Upper Iowa's intrastate matchup scheduled against NCAA DIII opponent Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa on Mar. 28 has been postponed. A new date for the contest is to be determined and will be adjusted on the team's schedule when a date and time are decided. The Peacocks are set to finish their season in Sioux Falls, S.D. from Apr. 9-10 with a pair of NSIC duals against the University of Sioux Falls and Augustana University.
RESULTS...
Winona State 5, Upper Iowa 2
Singles competition
1. Rachel Kelly (WSU) def. Grammatikaki, Chara (UIU) 7-5, 4-6, 10-8
2. Beth Murman (WSU) def. Ogorodnikova, Varvara (UIU) 6-2, 6-4
3. Rina Niehoff (WSU) def. Michieli, Jessa (UIU) 6-0, 6-3
4. Ziani, Lina (UIU) def. Sara Anderson (WSU) 6-4, 6-3
5. Murugan, Padmasree (UIU) def. Brooke Holloway (WSU) 7-5, 6-4
6. Brooke Jorgensen (WSU) def. Herrmann, Mya (UIU) 6-0, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Rachel Kelly / Rina Niehoff (WSU) def. Ogorodnikova, Varvara / Ziani, Lina (UIU) 6-4
2. Beth Murman / Sara Anderson (WSU) def. Grammatikaki, Chara / Michieli, Jessa (UIU) 6-3
3. Brooke Holloway / Brooke Jorgensen (WSU) def. Murugan, Padmasree / Herrmann, Mya (UIU) 6-4
