AUSTN, Texas — The University of Iowa women’s tennis fell to No. 3 Texas, 4-0, on Saturday in the opening round of the ITA Kickoff at the Texas Tennis Center.
The match started with the Longhorns earning the doubles point. Iowa’s Elise van Heuvelen Treadwell and Michelle Bacalla fell to No. 48 ranked Anna Turati and Fernanda Labrana, 6-0, at the No. 2 position. Danielle Bauers and Samantha Gilas fell at the No. 3 spot, 6-1, while Alexa Noel and Samantha Mannix were tied, 3-3, at No. 1 before their match went unfinished.
In singels action, Vipsha Mehra fell to No. 94 Lulu Sun on court three, 6-1, 6-0, while Samantha Gilas fell to No. 125 Charlotte Chavatipon (6-2, 6-2) at the No. 4 position. Texas clinched the match at No. 6 when Malaika Rapolu topped Michelle Bacala, 6-2, 6-0. Noel, ranked 97 nationally, trailed No. 66 Peyton Searns at the top singles position before her match was terminated. Van Huevelen and Mannix’s matches went unfinished at No. 2 and No. 5, respectively. Mannix was tied 1-1 in the third set, and van Heuvelen was down 3-2 to No. 5 Anna Turati in the second set.
Quoting @SashaSchmid
“We are so grateful for the opportunity to compete, and not being on the court for 10 months showed today, but we will get better. As hard as it is to lose to a top team like Texas, we are going to get better from today. There is now a lot to look over and go through to be back tomorrow. It was wonderful to be on the court and it’s not lost on us how hard the people in our athletic department have worked to see it happen. We are going to be better because of the opportunities we have today and tomorrow.”
Iowa Notables
• Freshman Alexa Noel and Vipasha Mehra made their collegiate debuts
• The Hawkeyes are making their second straight appearance at the ITA Kickoff Weekend, and their fourth in program history.
Up Next
Iowa will face No. 20 Arizona State on Sunday, at 12 p.m. at the Texas Tennis Center.
#3 Texas 4, Iowa 0
Jan. 23, 2021 | 9 a.m. | Austin, Texas | Texas Tennis Center
Singles
1. #97 Alexa Noel (I) vs. #66 Peyton Stearns (Texas): 3-6, 2-3, unfinished
2. Elise van Heuvelen Treadwell (I) vs. #5 Anna Turati (Texas): 2-6, 2-3, unfinished
3. #94 Lulu Sun (Texas) def. Vipasha Mehra (I): 6-1, 6-0
4. #125 Charlotte Chavatipon (Texas) def. Samantha Gillas (I): 6-2, 6-2
5. Samantha Mannix (I) vs. Kylie Collins (Texas): 6-1, 0-6, 1-1, unfinished
6. Malaika Rapolu (Texas) def. Michelle Bacalla (I): 6-2, 6-0
Doubles
1. Collins/Sun (Texas) vs. Noel/Mannix (I): 3-3, unifinished
2. #48 Turati/ Labrana (Texas) def. van Huevelen/ Bacalla (I): 6-0
3. Stearns/ Chavatipon (Texas) def. Bauers/Gilas (I): 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (3,4,6)