IOWA CITY, Iowa –– The University of Iowa women’s tennis team, ranked No. 58 nationally, defeated Rutgers, 4-2, on Friday at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreational Complex.
The Hawkeyes, who have won four of their last five home matches, started the night off by capturing the doubles point with wins on courts one and three. Sam Mannix/Vipasha Mehra posted the first win against Lopez/Valitova (6-1). On court three, Barbora Pokorna/Pia Kranholdt finished it off with a victory over Kim/Nguyen (6-4). Marisa Schmidt/Daianne Hayashida were tied, 4-4, on court two against Chilton/Badawi, but the match went unfinished after Iowa clinched the point.
Iowa (10-8, 5-3) finished the job in singles with wins on courts six, two, and five. On court four, Mehra dropped her singles match to Arina Valitova (6-4, 7-5). Kranholdt earned a victory on court six, with a straight-set win against Daira Cardenas (6-3, 7-6). On court one, Mannix fell to Jackeline Lopez after battling to a third set (3-6, 6-4, 6-3). Schmidt gave Iowa the lead on court two with a win against Tara Chilton (4-6, 7-5, 6-1).
With Iowa leading 3-2, it came down to Hayashida and Pokorna. On court five, Pokorna brought her match to a 5-5 tie in the third set. Pokorna gained one point after the other, bringing her to a win over Mai Nguyen (4-6, 7-6, 7-5) to secure the win. Hayashida was tied 3-3 in the third set, but her match went unfinished.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH SASHA SCHMID
“I am really proud of the team. Tonight was a battle. Rutgers played really well and pushed us in every match. I think we needed a match like tonight because it tested us in ways that are good for us in the long run. We had to play aggressively. We had to believe in ourselves. We had to overcome some adversity; some of those things are skills that we have had to develop over the course of the season, and we had to implement them in order to beat a good Rutgers team.”
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will face Maryland in their home finale on Sunday. Iowa seniors will be recognized before the match. Action will start at 10 a.m. (CT) at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreational Complex. Admission is free to the public.
RESULT
#58 Iowa 4, Rutgers 2
SINGLES
1. Jackeline Lopez (RU) def. Samantha Mannix (UI): 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
2. Marisa Schmidt (UI) def. Tara Chilton (RU): 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
3. Daianne Hayashida (UI) vs. Amira Badawi (RU): 5-7, 7-5, 3-3 unfinished
4. Arina Valitova (RU) def. Vipasha Mehra (UI): 6-4, 7-5
5. Barbora Pokorna (UI) def. Mai Nguyen (RU): 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5
6. Pia Kranholdt (UI) def. Daira Cardenas (RU): 6-3, 7-6(4)
DOUBLES
1. Mannix/Mehra (UI) def. Lopez/Valitova (RU): 6-1
2. Schmidt/Hayashida (UI) vs. Chilton/Badawi (RU): 4-4 unfinished
3. Pokorna/Kranholdt (UI) def. Kim/Nguyen (RU): 6-4
Order of Finish: Singles (4,6,1,2,5); Doubles (1,3)