March 7, 2010
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IOWA CITY, IA – The University of Iowa women’s tennis team, ranked 54th nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, posted a huge win Sunday over No. 24 DePaul. The 8-2 Hawkeyes battled for every point in the exciting 4-3 win over the top-25 opponent. The win marks the second win over a ranked opponent this season.
Iowa doubles swept their competition for the fifth time this season. The perfect showing was earned with each serve for the Hawkeyes. Lynne Poggensee-Wei and Alexis Dorr was the first duo to earn a 9-7 win over Kirsten Gambrell and Sandra Zmak. Jessica Young and Kelcie Klockenga finished second for Iowa with an 8-8, 8-6 tie break win over Gia McKnight and Katarina Milinkovic. Sonja Molnar and Merel Beelen, though only recently teamed together, took down the tenth ranked duo in Anna Redecsi and Selma Salkovic, 9-7. This is the second ranked doubles team Molnar and Beelen have routed. The first was then No. 26 Hilary Bartlett and Taylor Marabel of Princeton.
“Sweeping doubles was big,” first year Head Coach Katie Dougherty said. “We told them they have to step up and take these wins from DePaul because they’re not going to give them to us.”
Singles action was equally exciting with each match heightening the anticipation. Beelen was the first Hawkeye to get an important 6-3, 6-3 win over Milinkovic. With Young and Klockenga both falling to their opponents, the score was tied 2-2 when Dorr, playing in the sixth spot, defeated Gambrell, 6-3, 6-2, to give Iowa the edge.
Poggensee-Wei fell in the first set, 4-6, to Salkovic, but bounced back and posted a 6-2 win in the second set. The third was back and forth, but Salkovic got the 6-3 decision. The final two on the courts were set to determine the match. Sophomore Molnar and senior Redecsi were entangled in a heated second set with Molnar winning the first set, 6-4. The second set was filled with emotion as each player had great plays and costly mistakes. Molnar claimed the singles win and clinched the Iowa victory with a 7-6 (7-5) win. This marks the second time the Guelph, Ontario native has secured the Hawkeye win over a ranked opponent, with the first being her win over Princeton’s Bartlett.
“DePaul is a very good team,” Dougherty said. “I am really proud of the way we played today. I thought we played hard and it’s a great win over a top-25 program.”
The Black and Gold head west for Spring Break. The team faces Wichita State March 18 in San Diego, CA, and Tulsa March 20 in Indian Wells, CA.
Singles Competition1. No. 77 Sonja Molnar (Iowa)="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/strong%3E%20def.%20Anna%20Redecsi%20(DePaul)%206-4,%207-6%20(7-5)2.%20Selma%20Salkovic%20(DePaul)%20def.%20%3Cstrong%3E%3Cahref="http: www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/w-tennis/mtt/poggenseewei_lynne00.html"="">Lynne Poggensee-Wei (Iowa)="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/strong%3E%206-4,%202-6,%206-33.%20%3Cstrong%3E%3Cahref="http: www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/w-tennis/mtt/beelen_merel00.html"="">Merel Beelen (Iowa)="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/strong%3E%20Katarina%20Milinkovic%20(DePaul)%206-3,%206-34.%20Gia%20McKnight%20(DePaul)%20def.%20%3Cstrong%3E%3Cahref="http: www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/w-tennis/mtt/young_jessica00.html"="">Jessica Young (Iowa)="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/strong%3E%206-1,%206-05.%20Sandra%20Zmak%20(DePaul)%20def.%20%3Cstrong%3E%3Cahref="http: www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/w-tennis/mtt/klockenga_kelcie00.html"="">Kelcie Klockenga (Iowa)="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/strong%3E%206-1,%206-46.%20%3Cstrong%3E%3Cahref="http: www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/w-tennis/mtt/dorr_alexis00.html"="">Alexis Dorr (Iowa)="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/strong%3E%20def.%20Kirsten%20Gambrell%20(DePaul)%206-3,%206-2%3Cem%3EExhibition:%3C/em%3E%20%3Cstrong%3E%3Cahref="http: www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/w-tennis/mtt/majercik_ally00.html"="">Ally Majercik (Iowa)="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/strong%3E%20def.%20Cali%20Gustafson%20(DePual)%207-6,%206-3%3C/pre%3E%3Cpre%3E%3Cstrong%3EDoubles%20Competition%3C/strong%3E1.%20%3Cstrong%3EMolnar/Beelen%20(Iowa)%3C/strong%3E%20def.%20#10%20Redecsi/Salkovic%20(DePaul)%209-72.%20%3Cstrong%3EKlockenga/Young%20(Iowa)%3C/strong%3E%20def.%20McKnight/Milinkovic%20(DePaul)%208-8,%208-63.%20%3Cstrong%3EPoggensee-Wei/Dorr%20(Iowa)%3C/strong%3E%20def.%20Gambrell/Zmak%20(DePaul)%209-7%3C/pre%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3Cdiv%20style="text-align: center">