Iowa State Tennis Sweeps Illinois-Chicago 7-0

Saturday, February 6

Des Moines, Iowa

9:00 AM

Iowa State

UIC

Iowa State Tennis Sweeps Illinois-Chicago 7-0

02.06.2010 | Tennis

By: cyclones.com

DES MOINES, Iowa- The Iowa State tennis team posted a clean sweep of Illinois-Chicago Saturday morning, as the Cyclones easily defeated the Flames, 7-0, in Des Moines. The win improved ISU's record to 3-2 this season after knocking off Drake on Friday.

"We continue to wins in doubles, which is a huge thing for us moving forward," ISU head coach Armando Espinosa said. "Doubles tend to set the pace for the rest of the dual."

Alyssa Palen and Liza Wischer quickly dismantled UIC's Ilinca Cristescu and Jenna Reisch in No. 3 doubles, defeating the pair 8-4. Maria Macedo and Tessa Lang followed close behind, picking up an 8-5 win over Elena Antakova and Zlatka Petrova to clinch the doubles point. Erin Karonis and Jenna Langhorst continued the doubles sweep over Mariya Kovaleva and Kristen McPhillips, pulling out the win in a tiebreaker.

"It's a good feeling to see the team getting better," Espinosa said. "Last year, the meet came down to a close last match for the 4-3 win, but for us to come out now and win 7-0 against a team like this shows how much the team has improved."

In No. 1 singles, Karonis improved her season record to 4-1, defeating Kovaleva 6-1, 6-3. Macedo knocked off Cristescu 6-1, 6-4 in straight sets. Tessa Lang pulled out a convincing 6-2, 6-1 win over Petrova, bouncing back from a tough loss against Drake. Langhorst earned an easy win over McPhillips (6-1, 6-3). Wischer also posted a strong performance with a dominating 6-1, 6-0 win over Amy Jellish. In No. 5 singles, Marie-Christine Chartier went 6-3 in the first set against Antakova before dropping the second in a tiebreaker to split sets. Chartier sealed the sweep with her 10-3 win in a tiebreaker that replaced the third set.

Illinois-Chicago came into the dual 3-1 with recent wins over Wisconsin and Northern Illinois.

"Beating Wisconsin was a good win for them," Espinosa said. "The meet today shows us that competition is not going to get any easier in the next couple of weeks. It serves as a good building block for us moving forward in the season."

The Cyclones will face Northern Iowa Feb. 17, in Waterloo at the Black Hawk Tennis Club at 1 p.m.

Doubles Results
No.1 Erin Karonis /Jenna Langhorst (ISU) def. Mariya Kovaleva/ Kristen McPhillips (UIC) 9-8 (7-4)
No.2 Maria Macedo/ Tessa Lang (ISU) def. Elena Antakova/ Zlatka Petrova (UIC) 8-5
No.3 Alyssa Palen/ Liza Wischer (ISU) def. Ilinca Cristescu/ Jenna Reisch (UIC) 8-4

Singles Results
No.1 Erin Karonis (ISU) def. Mariya Kovaleva (UIC) 6-1, 6-3
No.2 Maria Macedo (ISU) def. Ilinca Cristescu (UIC) 6-1, 6-4
No.3 Tessa Lang (ISU) def. Zlatka Petrova (UIC) 6-2, 6-1
No.4 Jenna Langhorst (ISU) def. Kristen McPhillips (UIC) 6-1, 6-3
No.5 Marie-Christine Chartier (ISU) def. Elena Antakova (UIC) 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), (10-3)
No.6 Liza Wischer (ISU) def. Amy Jellish (UIC) 6-1, 6-0