Hawkeyes Lose Heartbreaker to Purdue

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April 3, 2011

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – – The University of Iowa women’s tennis team dropped a heartbreaking 4-3 decision against No. 58 Purdue (9-6 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) Sunday while playing outdoors at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex. Iowa fell to an even 2-2 in Big Ten play and 5-10 overall.

The Boilermakers, 2-4 in road matches, secured the doubles point by winning the first two matches. The Hawkeyes won the final match, as senior Lynne Poggensee-Wei and junior Ally Majercik topped Imogen Golder and Bhavani Titumurti 8-3 at the No. 3 position. Poggensee-Wei and Majercik have been teamed at the No. 3 spot in Iowa’s last three Big Ten matches and have posted a 2-1 record over the stretch.

In singles, junior Sonja Molnar won 6-0, 6-0 over Jennifer Rabot at the No. 1 position to quickly even the score at 1-1. Molnar, the No. 101 player in the nation according to the ITA, has won three consecutive matches in straight sets and is 11-4 during dual matches.

After losing the next two matches, senior Jessica Young topped Bhavani Tirumurti 6-4, 7-5 at the No. 2 spot to pull the Hawkeyes within one (3-2). Young, 4-0 in conference play, won her fifth match in a row and improved her dual match record to 8-7.

The Hawkeyes were unable to overcome the one-point Boilermaker lead, as the two teams split the final two matches. Senior Alexis Dorr recorded a 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 victory over Anna Dushkina at the No. 4 postion. The win was Dorr’s third straight at the No. 4 spot, moving her to 3-1 in conference play and 6-9 overall.

The Hawkeyes will continue Big Ten play in the state of Illinois next weekend. Iowa will play in Champaign Friday, April 8 at 3 p.m. (CT) against Illinois before facing No.18 Northwestern in Evanston Saturday, April 9 at 11 a.m. (CT).

#58 Purdue (9-6, 3-2) – 4
Iowa (5-10, 2-2) – 3

Singles
1. #101 Sonja Molnar (IOWA) def. Jennifer Rabot (PURDUE), 6-0, 6-0
2. Jessica Young (IOWA) def. Bhavani Tirumurti (PURDUE), 6-4, 7-5
3. Mara Schmidt (PURDUE) def. Lynne Poggensee-Wei (IOWA), 6-3, 6-2
4. Alexis Dorr (IOWA) def. Anna Dushkina (PURDUE), 7-5, 1-6, 6-4
5. Imogen Golder (PURDUE) def. Christina Harazin (IOWA), 6-4, 6-0
6. Gisella Pere (PURDUE) def. Cassandra Escobar (IOWA), 7-6, 6-0

Doubles
1. #38 Jennifer Rabot/Mara Schmidt (PURDUE) def. #46 Sonja Molnar/Jessica Young (IOWA), 8-3
2. Gisella Pere/Anna Dushkina (PURDUE) def. Alexis Dorr/Christina Harazin (IOWA), 8-0
3. Ally Majercik/Lynne Poggensee-Wei (IOWA) def. Bhavani Tirumurti/Imogen Golder (PURDUE), 8-3