IOWA CITY, Iowa – The 73rd-ranked University of Iowa women’s tennis team stormed back from an 0-2 deficit to down Rutgers, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center.
The win moves the Hawkeyes’ record to 9-9 overall and 4-3 in Big Ten action.
Rutgers opened the dual by winning at the top two doubles positions to claim the first point and followed with a straight set win at No. 6 singles to build a 2-0 lead.
The Hawkeyes responded with victories at the top five singles positions to win their fourth Big Ten Conference dual of the season.
Junior Marissa Schmidt ran her winning streak to nine matches with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Tara Chilton at No. 2 before sophomore Pia Kranholdt tied the dual with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Mai Nguyen at No. 4.
Schmidt’s victory was her team-leading 11th of the season, including a perfect 10-0 mark at the No. 2 singles position.
The Hawkeyes took the lead courtesy of Daianne Hayashida’s 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 victory over Yana Gurevich at the No. 1 line and junior Barbora Pokorna and Vipasha Mehra closed out the dual with wins at No. 3 and No. 5. Pokorna won a three-setter over Amira Badawi at No. 3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 and Mehra downed Jackeline Lopez, 7-5, 7-5, at No. 5.
QUOTING COACH SCHMID
“I am proud of the team for responding after losing a tough doubles point and coming back and competing in singles in every match. The conference is tough and competitive, so I was happy with the way we were able to continue to fight and get five points in singles. We’re excited to have the rest of the weekend off to cheer on women’s basketball for a national championship tomorrow and regroup for our final home match next weekend.”
RESULTS
#73 Iowa 5, Rutgers 2
Singles Results
1. Daianne Hayashida (UI) def. Yana Gurevich (RU), 6-2, 2-6, 6-2
2. Marisa Schmidt (UI) def. Tara Chilton (RU), 6-2, 6-2
3. Barbora Pokorna (UI) def. Amira Badawi (RU), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
4. Pia Kranholdt (UI) def. Mai Nguyen (RU), 6-3, 6-4
5. Vipasha Mehra (UI) def. Jackeline Lopez (RU), 7-5, 7-5
6. Minchae Kim (RU) def. Nikita Vishwase (UI), 6-0, 6-3
Doubles Results
1. Gurevich/Nguyen (RU) def. Pokorna/Mehra, 7-5
2. Chilton/Kim (RU) def. Schmidt/Kranholdt, 6-4
3. Hayashida/Vishwase (UI) vs. Badawi/Naomi Karki (RU), 6-5 (DNF)
Order of Finish: Singles (6, 2, 4, 1, 5, 3); Doubles (2, 1)
