Completed Event: Tennis at #19 TCU on March 15, 2026 , Loss , 0, to, 4
Final
Tennis
0
#19 TCU
4
Iowa State University Athletics
Cyclones Send Four To Semis At Gopher Invitational
09.23.2016 | Tennis
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Iowa State tennis team advanced four players to the semifinals in singles play at the Gopher Invitational as play continued Friday at the Baseline Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota.
The day was highlighted by an impressive run in singles play for Iowa State. The Cyclones finished the day 11-6 in singles action. In doubles play, Annabella Bonadonna and Regina Espindola teamed up to win their bracket.
After doubles play, Sami Budai kicked off singles action in the top bracket with a hard-fought, 7-5, 6-3, win against Minnesota's Maja Vujic. Budai followed the win over Vujic with another straight-set win, this time a 6-4, 6-2 victory over San Jose State's Sybillie Gauvain. The senior will try to avenge a loss last year to Minnesota's Caroline Ryba Saturday in the semifinals.
In Flight B, Iowa State sent the sophomore Espindola and freshman Maty Cancini to the semis. Espindola earned wins against San Jose State's Gaelle Rey and Karyna Bihel of Minnesota to advance, while Cancini defeated South Dakota State's Molly Crum and Northern Iowa's Elvira Lopez.
Espindola will face Iowa's Elise Van Heuvelen and Cancini meets San Jose State's Miyo Kobayashi as the teammates hope to advance to play each other in Sunday's finals.
Bonadonna, a sophomore, was the fourth Cyclone to qualify for the semifinals, beating Omaha's Janelle Wilson in the first round and outlasting Marquette's Paula Tormos, 6-4, 4-6, 10-6. Bonadonna takes the court Saturday against San Jose State's Diane Flament.
Karen Alvarez, Erin Freeman and Natalie Phippen also collected first-rounds wins in singles play before falling out of the winner's bracket in the second round.
The Cyclones went 5-3 in doubles action, highlighted by Bonadonna and Espindola winning their bracket. The sophomore duo defeated Omaha's Michelle Lo and Kyle Boyer, 7-6 (5), in the opening round. In the finals, the pair beat the Wisconsin doubles duo of Kelsey Grambeau and Sydney Rider, 6-3.
Saturday's action starts at 9 a.m. with doubles play. Singles action is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
Doubles Results
First Round
Eszter Zador/Alysa Straub (Milwaukee) def. Sami Budai/Maty Cancini. 6-3
Regina Espindola/Annabella Bonadonna def. Michelle Lo/Kylie Boyer (Omaha), 7-6 (5)
Rita Timakova/Karen Alvarez def. Hayley Marshall/Berta Masdevall Masip (Milwaukee), 6-4
Liera Bender/Erin Freeman def. Sydney Wolfe/Savanna Hunt (Northern Iowa), 7-6 (5)
Consolation
Budai/Cancini def. Ella Hassall/Mimi Yunker (North Dakota), 7-5
Finals
Espindola/Bonadonna def. Kelsey Grambeau/Sydney Rider (Wisconsin), 6-3
Astrid Santos/Gisela Kemper (UNI) def. Timakova/Alvarez, 6-4
Nanette Nylund/Ellie Burns (South Dakota) def. Bender/Freeman, 6-3
Singles Results
Flight A – First Round
Sami Budai def. Maja Vujic (Minnesota), 7-5, 6-3
Flight A – Second Round
Budai def. Sybillie Gauvain (San Jose State), 6-4, 6-2
Flight B – First Round
Regina Espindola def. Gaelle Rey (San Jose State), 6-4, 2-6, 11-9
Maty Cancini def. Molly Crum (South Dakota State), 6-0, 6-2
Flight B – Second Round
Espindola def. Karyna Bihel (Minnesota), 7-6 (8-6), 6-2
Cancini def. Elvira Lopez (UNI), 6-3, 6-2
Flight C – First Round
Adorabol Huckleby (Iowa) def. Rita Timakova, 2-6, 6-4, 10-5
Annabella Bonadonna def. Janelle Wilson (Omaha), 6-1, 6-1
Flight C –Second Round
Bonadonna def. Paula Tormos (Marquette), 6-4, 4-6, 10-6
Flight C – Consolation
Timakova - Bye
Flight D – First Round
Nanette Nylund (South Dakota) def. Liera Bender, 6-2, 6-1
Erin Freeman def. Anastasia Bondarenko (South Dakota), 6-2, 6-2
Flight D – Second Round
Courtney Hebard (Marquette) def. Freeman, 6-2, 6-4
Flight D – Consolation
Rylee Tucker (Omaha) def. Bender, 6-4, 6-2
Flight E – First Round
Natalie Phippen def. Alex Revenig (North Dakota), 3-6, 6-2, 10-5
Karen Alvarez def. Sydney Wolfe (Northern Iowa), 6-3, 6-1
Flight E – Second Round
Taylor Tamblyn (Iowa) def. Phippen, 6-1, 6-0
Maria Pandya (South Dakota) def. Alvarez, 7-6 (5), 2-6, 12-10
Players Mentioned
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
Thursday, April 10
Friday, May 12
Friday, May 12
Saturday, May 06
