April 29, 2004
BLOOMINGTON, IN – The Iowa men’s tennis team ended a season filled with inexperience and injuries Thursday afternoon in a 4-0 loss to 61st-ranked and sixth-seeded Indiana in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament held at the MSU Tennis Facility.
Iowa, seeded 11th in the tournament, fell behind early after losing two doubles contests. In the No. 2 match, sophomore Chaitu Malempati and freshman Jonny Hoak were defeated by Dmytro Ishtuganov and Jakub Praibis, 8-2. Indiana clinched the doubles point after senior Matis Jasicek and sophomore Aaron Schaechterle lost an 8-5 decision to Tom Bagnato and Ryan Recht. The No. 1 match between freshmen Sebastian Delgado and Walter Valarezo and the Hoosiers’ Neil Kenner and Ryan McCarthy was abandoned with Indiana leading, 6-5.
The Hawkeyes made a push in singles competition, forcing four of six matches into three sets, but their time ran out as Indiana was able to claim three matches. The Hoosiers won their second point of the day after Malempati lost to 60th-ranked Praibis in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3. Indiana took a 3-0 lead after Schaechterle lost his No. 6 match to McCarthy in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. The Hawkeyes tried to hold on, splitting the first two sets in the remaining three matches to force a third set. In the No. 4 match, Hoak dropped his first set to Bagnato, 6-4. He then rallied with a 6-3 win in the second set. With Iowa’s season in the balance, Hoak dropped the final set, 6-0, to give Indiana the win.
In remaining action, Delgado rallied from a 6-3 loss in the first set of his No. 2 match with Recht to take the second set, 6-3. He was leading the third set, 3-2, at the time it was abandoned. In the No. 3 match, Valarezo recorded a 6-4 win in the first set against Kenner. Valarezo then dropped the second set, 6-4 and was leading the third set, 1-0, at the time it was abandoned. In his final collegiate match, Jasicek lost the first set to David Bubenick, 6-3, and then fought back with a 6-3 win in the second set. Jasicek was down, 4-1, at the time the No. 5 match was abandoned.
“We dealt with our share of injures and inexperience this year and that is ultimately what did us in,” said Iowa Head Coach Steve Houghton. “This season was a learning experience for our guys. Now they have a taste of what Big Ten tennis is like and they can use this experience to work hard over the summer and prepare for next year.”
The Hawkeyes finish the 2004 dual season 3-17 overall and 0-11 in the Big Ten.
RESULTS
#61 Indiana 4
Iowa 0
Singles
No. 1 #60 Jakub Praibis (IN) def. Chaitu Malempati (I), 6-0, 6-3
No. 2 Sebastian Delgado (I) vs. Ryan Recht (IN), 3-6, 6-3, 3-2 – abandoned
No. 3 Walter Valarezo (I) vs. Neil Kenner (IN), 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 – abandoned
No. 4 Tom Bagnato (IN) def. Jonny Hoak (I), 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
No. 5 David Bubenick (IN) vs. Matis Jasicek (I), 3-6, 6-3, 4-1 – abandoned
No. 6 Ryan McCarthy (IN) def. Aaron Schaechterle (I), 6-3, 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 Kenner/McCarthy (IN) vs. Delgado/Valarezo (I), 6-5 – abandoned
No. 2 Dmytro Ishtuganov/Praibis (IN) def. Malempati/Hoak (I), 8-2
No. 3 Bagnato/Recht (IN) def. Schaechterle/Jasicek (I), 8-5