June 16, 2010
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IOWA CITY, IA – The 28th-ranked University of Iowa women’s tennis team has earned impressive post season rankings following one of the most successful seasons in program history. The Hawkeyes are represented in every category in the Central region rankings, produced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Iowa claims second place on the list just behind Arkansas in the ten-team region. The Hawkeyes finished the season 17-7, including a fourth-place finish in the Big Ten and a trip to the NCAA tournament under the direction of first-year Head Coach Katie Dougherty. The team went 4-1 against opponents in the central region, collecting wins over Kansas State, Iowa State, Wichita State and Tulsa.
Sophomore Sonja Molnar is the third-ranked singles competitor. Molnar ended her sophomore campaign with an 18-4 singles record as the top player on the Hawkeyes’ roster. She also maintained a spot on the national rankings throughout the majority of the season, ending the season at 55th. Junior Lynne Poggensee-Wei also made the regional ranking list at 19th. Poggensee-Wei competed for much of the season in the No. 2 singles spot, recording a 9-15 record.
Merel Beelen and Molnar are first in the doubles rankings. The duo was paired up part way through the season, and wasted no time leading the Hawkeyes to a five-match win streak and helping the team set a 17-1 mark when winning the doubles point. The team earned a trip to the NCAA doubles tournament following their regular season success, but fell to the Georgia team of Chelsey Gullickson and Nadja Gilchrist. Beelen and Molnar posted a 16-5 record this season and ended the year ranked 19th nationally.