March 18, 2011
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NEW ORLEANS – The University of Iowa women’s tennis won a 4-3 decision Friday against Tulane (7-8, 1-0 C-USA) at Goldring Stadium. The victory was Iowa’s first win of the season in a match decided by a single point and snapped a six-match losing streak. The triumph came against a quality opponent, as the Green Wave entered Friday on a four-match win streak that included victories over No. 72 Akron and Big Ten foe Penn State. The Hawkeyes improved to 3-8 overall on the season and 2-5 in road matches.
“I’m proud of the way we competed today,” said Head Coach Katie Dougherty. “It wasn’t pretty out there, it was hot and we won matches that we weren’t playing our best tennis. But the spots that we took we did so with a lot of grit and willed ourselves to win. We’ve struggled without Christina Harazin in the line-up in singles or doubles and made no excuses today.”
The Hawkeyes jumped out to an early 1-0 lead by claiming the doubles point. Iowa swept all three matches for the second time on the road this season and third time overall. The previous two sweeps happened in victories against Northern Iowa and Miami (OH).
At the top spot, the No. 40 duo of Sonja Molnar and Jessica Young topped Mariam Kurdadze and Emma Levy, 8-3. Molnar and Young improved their dual match record to 6-3.
Seniors Alexis Dorr and Lynne Poggensee-Wei improved to 4-3 during dual matches after beating Katherine Cecil and Lindsay Dvorak 8-4 at the No. 2 position.
Juniors Ally Majercik and Cassandra Escobar won 8-6 at the No. 3 position against Hila Elster and Elizabeth Hamlin. It was the tandem’s first victory of the season.
In singles, the two teams split the first four matches to make the score 3-2. Iowa received victories from Jessica Young and Alexis Dorr. Young topped Lindsay Dvorak 6-3, 6-2 at the No. 3 spot, improving to 4-7 during dual matches this season. Dorr was victorious against Elizabeth Hamlin 7-5, 6-1 at the No. 4 position. Dorr’s dual match record is now 3-8.
Sonja Molnar clinched the Hawkeye victory with a 7-6, 6-1 victory at the No. 1 spot over Mariam Kurdadze, a two-time all-Conference USA performer. Molnar won her fourth match in a row and improved her dual match record to 8-3. She is ranked No. 119 in singles by the ITA.
Iowa will return to the court to open its Big Ten Conference schedule next weekend. The Hawkeyes will play at Ohio State March 25 at 5 p.m. (CST) before facing Penn State on March 27 at 11 a.m. (CST).
Iowa (3-8) – 4
Tulane (7-8, 1-0) – 3
Doubles:
1. #40 Sonja Molnar/Jessica Young (IOWA) def. Mariam Kurdadze/Emma Levy (TLN), 8-3
2. Alexis Dorr/Lynne Poggensee-Wei (IOWA) def. Katherine Cecil/Lindsay Dvorak (TLN), 8-4
3. Cassandra Escobar/Ally Majercik (IOWA) def. Hila Elster/Elizabeth Hamlin (TLN), 8-6
Singles:
1. #114 Sonja Molnar (IOWA) def. Mariam Kurdadze (TLN), 7-6, 6-1
2. Emma Levy (TLN) def. Lynne Poggensee-Wei (IOWA), 6-2, 6-1
3. Jessica Young (IOWA) def. Lindsay Dvorak (TLN), 6-3, 6-2
4. Alexis Dorr (IOWA) def. Elizabeth Hamlin (TLN), 7-5, 6-1
5. Hila Elster (TLN) def. Ally Majercik (IOWA), 6-2, 6-2
6. Emma Helisten (TLN) def. Cassandra Escobar (IOWA), 6-3, 6-4