April 12, 2015
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa women’s tennis team said thank you to seniors Ellen Silver, Katie Zordani, Morven McCulloch, and Shelby Talcott at the conclusion of the team’s contest against No. 64 Penn State on Sunday. It was a tough fought battle, but Iowa fell short of a conference victory, falling to the Nittany Lions, 4-3.
“Each senior has brought something a little bit different and enriched our lives as a whole,” UI head coach Katie Dougherty said of her senior class. “I’m so proud of each and every one of them and how they’ve grown from freshman year until now.”
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“We’re playing our best tennis right now,” Dougherty reflected on the match. “We’re doing everything we can out there, and everyone is up a spot, and it’s showing in these close 6-2, 6-3 results, but I’m proud of the way we competed today.”
The dual proved to be a battle from the beginning as Iowa split a pair of doubles matches at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions. Sophomore Aimee Tarun and freshman Anastasia Reimchen were defeated at No. 3, falling 8-2 to Penn State’s Jacqueline Zuhse and Katherine Whiteaway. Morven McCulloch and Annette Dohanics kept the Hawkeyes in contention for the doubles point, posting an 8-3 victory over Katia Blik and Victoria Kisialeva at the top of the lineup.
It all came down to senior Katie Zordani and freshman Zoe Douglas at the No. 2 doubles slot. It was a hard fought match, but the duo was overcome by Nittany Lions Kimberley-Ann Surin and Dasha Sapogova, 8-3 to award Penn State the doubles point.
Senior Ellen Silver gave the Hawkeyes momentum in singles play, recording a 6-2, 6-1 win over Penn State’s Taylor Shukow at the No. 6 slot. Zordani followed suit at the No. 5 position with a straight set victory, collecting a 6-3, 6-1 triumph over Jacqueline Zuhse.
“Zordani and Silver picking up wins for us today was huge, and Annette being able to come back from a set down and put a point on the board was great,” Coach Dougherty noted.
At the No. 3 slot, Dohanics forced a third set against Nittany Lion Kimberley-Ann Surin after falling 3-6 in the first set, but coming out on top 6-4 in the second. Dohanics capitalized on the opportunity and came out on top, posting a 3-6, 6-4 (10-5) win to keep the Hawkeyes fighting.
Iowa’s efforts came up short, however, as Penn State gathered victories at the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 positions. At the top of the lineup, McCulloch fell in the first set 6-3 to Katia Blik. She battled her way back in the second set, tying it at 5, but couldn’t hold on and fell 6-3, 7-5.
Reimchen was unable to find a rhythm at No. 2, being overcome 6-4, 6-3 by Penn State’s Victoria Kisialeva. Fellow freshman, Douglas, fought hard against Dasha Sapogova, but could not capitalize and fell 7-5, 6-3.
“I think our best tennis is ahead of us,” Dougherty said as the Hawkeyes look forward to the final road trip of the season. “Physically we’ll use the week to recover, every team is banged up right now, but we’ll get right back at it and look to clean some things up before this weekend.”
Iowa returns to action on Saturday, April 18 as they travel to Evanston, Illinois to take on the Northwestern Wildcats. Action will begin at 11 a.m. (CT) at the Combe Tennis Center.
Iowa 3, Penn State 4
Singles Results
1. Katia Blik (PSU) def. Morven McCulloch (Iowa), 6-3, 7-5
2. Victoria Kisialeva (PSU) def. Anastasia Reimchen (Iowa), 6-4, 6-3
3. Annette Dohanics (Iowa) def. Kimberley-Ann Surin (PSU), 3-6, 6-4 (10-5)
4. Dasha Sapogova (PSU) def. Zoe Douglas (Iowa), 7-5, 6-3
5. Katie Zordani (Iowa) def. Jacqueline Zuhse (PSU), 6-3, 6-1
6. Ellen Silver (Iowa) def. Taylor Shukow (PSU), 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish (6, 5, 2, 4, 1, 3)
Doubles Results
1. Morven McCulloch/Annette Dohanics (Iowa) def. Katia Blik/Victoria Kisialeva (PSU), 8-3
2. Kimberley-Ann Surin /Dasha Sapogova (PSU) def. Katie Zordani/Zoe Douglas (Iowa), 8-3
3. Jacqueline Zuhse/Katherine Whiteaway (PSU) def. Anastasia Reimchen/Aimee Tarun (Iowa), 8-2
Order of finish (3, 1, 2)
