Hawkeyes Drop Final Dual Match To Illinois

April 20, 2008

CHAMPAIGN, IL — The Hawkeyes wrapped up regular season play this afternoon, competing in their final dual match of the season. The 56th-ranked Iowa Women’s tennis team fell to No. 54 Illinois 6-1 today at the Atkins Tennis Center. After today’s match the Hawkeyes conclude their regular season with a record of 12-9, 3-7 in conference play and are ranked seventh in the Big Ten.

Iowa opened the match strong, sweeping doubles competition for the seventh time this season and earning the first point of the match. Lynne Poggensee-Wei and Kelcie Klockenga were the first to claim a win for the Hawkeyes, defeating Annie McCarthy and Kristina Minor 8-5. Mili Veselinovic and Kayla Berry secured the doubles point for Iowa with their 8-5 win over Marisa Lambropoulos and Leigh Finnegan. Solidifying the doubles sweep for the Hawkeyes, Jacqueline Lee and Alexis Dorr wrapped up doubles competition by defeating Megan Fudge and Shivani Dave 8-6.

Heading into singles competition with a 1-0 lead, Iowa put up a tough fight at every position, and three of the six singles matches went into tie-breaking third sets. Illinois tied the score 1-1 when Berry fell 6-4, 6-1 to Momei Qu at the number six position. Klockenga was defeated by Minor in a close 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 loss, giving the Fighting Illini a 2-1 lead. Lee fell at the number one position, putting the deciding point of the match at the number two position. Playing at the number two spot for Iowa, Veselinovic fell 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 to Leigh Finnegan to give Illinois its fourth point of the match. Veselinovic’s loss today is only her second loss of the spring season. Finishing up singles play, Dorr nearly earned a singles point for the Hawkeyes, falling just short in a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) loss to Lambropoulos while Poggensee-Wei was defeated in another close match 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) by Dave.

The Hawkeyes will continue conference play on Thursday as they travel to the Big Ten Conference Championship hosted by Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. The seventh-seeded Hawkeyes will face tenth-seed Penn State at 2 p.m. (CST) to open Big Ten tournament play. All matches will be played at Schwartz Tennis Center on the Purdue University campus.

Doubles1. Jacqueline Lee/Alexis Dorr (Iowa) def. Megan Fudge/Shivani Dave (Illinois) 8-62. Milica Veselinovic/Kayla Berry (Iowa) def. Marisa Lambropoulos/Leigh Finnegan (Illinois) 8-53. Lynne Poggensee-Wei/Kelcie Klockenga (Iowa) def. Annie McCarthy/Kristina Minor (Illinois) 8-5

Singles1. Megan Fudge (Illinois) def. Jacqueline Lee (Iowa) 6-2, 6-32. Leigh Finnegan (Illinois) def. Milica Veselinovic (Iowa) 6-4, 0-6, 6-43. Marisa Lambropoulos (Illinois) def. Alexis Dorr (Iowa) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5)4. Shivani Dave (Illinois) def. Lynne Poggensee-Wei (Iowa) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)5. Kristina Minor (Illinois) def. Kelcie Klockenga (Iowa) 7-5, 2-6, 6-36. Momei Qu (Illinois) def. Kayla Berry (Iowa) 6-4, 6-1

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