Raleigh, N.C. — The University of Iowa women’s tennis team was edged by Clemson, 4-3, on Saturday on day one of the ITA Kickoff event at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center on the campus of N.C. State.
Clemson secured the doubles point, winning on courts one and two. Pia Kranholdt/Barbora Pokorna won on court three (6-4), but Chelsea Bluestein/Daianne Hayashida and Marisa Schmidt/Nikita Vishwase lost on courts one (6-1) and two (6-4), respectively.
Iowa (1-2) notched singles points on courts one, two and five. Hayashida, ranked No. 109 nationally, secured the first victory for the Hawkeyes on court one against Louka in a straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. Bluestein followed on No. 2, fighting to the third set and outlasting Mayorova, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6. On No. 5, Pokorna posted a straight-set win over Hatton, 6-2, 6-4, to even the team score at 3-3.
Clemson (3-0) put points on the board on courts three, four, and six. On court three, Schmidt fought to a final set and ultimately to a tiebreaker against Jenna Thompson, but fell 6-4, 3-6, 7-6. At No. 4, Vishwase lost to Alina Tsyurpalevych, 6-1, 7-5.
The match came down to court six. Kranholdt took the match to three sets, but lost a close one to Leigh Van Zyl, 7-6, 2-6, 6-4.
QUOTING HEAD COACH SASHA SCHMID
“A hard-fought match tonight, about six hours in total. Obviously, it is tough to come up short on a match like that. We had chances, but I think tough losses like that only make you stronger. There is a lot to learn. I am proud of the fight from my team, the adversity we pushed through, and the way we stuck together. We have a short turnaround against a very good Alabama team.”
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will continue the competition at the ITA Kickoff tomorrow against Alabama at 10 a.m. (CT). The match can be followed live on sidearmstats.com.
RESULTS
Clemson 4, Iowa 3
SINGLES
No. 1 – #109 Daianne Hayashida (UI) def. Eleni Louka (CU): 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 –Chelsea Bluestein (UI) def. Cristina Mayorova (CU): 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(3)
No. 3 – Jenna Thompson (CU) def. Marisa Schmidt (UI): 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5)
No. 4 – Alina Tsyurpalevych (CU) def. Nikita Vishwase (UI): 6-1, 7-5
No. 5 – Barbora Pokorna (UI) def. Sophia Hatton (CU): 6-2, 6-4
No. 6 – Leigh Van Zyl (CU) def. Pia Kranholdt (UI): 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 6-4
DOUBLES
No. 1 – Thompson/Louka (CU) def. Bluestein/Hayashida (UI): 6-1
No. 2 – Mayorova/Van Zyl (CU) def. Schmidt/Vishwase (UI): 6-4
No. 3 – Kranholdt/Pokorna (UI) def. Tsyurpalevych/Hatton (CU): 6-4
Order of Finish: Singles (4,1,2,3,5,6); Doubles (1,3,2)