Iowa State Falls To Baylor At Big 12 Championships

LAWRENCE, Kansas - The Iowa State tennis team saw its season come to a close Thursday morning at the Big 12 Championships. The Cyclones fell to Baylor 4-0 in the opening round.

"Baylor came out ready," head coach Boomer Saia said. "We dropped the first six sets and had some spurts in the latter half of the second sets, but by then, it was a little too late."

The Lady Bears were hot from the start, clinching the doubles point by winning the No. 2 and 3 matches. Regina Espindola and Ekaterina Grib were battling in a 4-4 tie at the No. 1 spot, but it went unfinished.

Iowa State couldn't make a comeback in singles action as Baylor took home the No. 2, 3 and 4 matches from the Cyclones. Margarita Timakova was locked in a tight match with Dominika Sujova at the No. 6 slot, but the match was clinched before it could be played out.

Iowa State ended its season with a 6-12 record, but saw massive improvement in Saia's first season at the helm. The Cyclones notched historic wins over Nebraska and Baylor during the regular season.

"I'm proud of my group and their season," Saia said. "They really fought hard from the beginning of the year until the end. Today didn't go well for us, but I am really, really proud of them."

Seniors Annabella Bonadonna and Regina Espindola ended their college careers as two of the most successful players to wear the Cardinal and Gold.

Bonadonna finishes as the winningest Cyclone ever, amassing 159 overall victories throughout her career. Espindola tallied 124 overall career wins for the Cyclones, the sixth-most in school history.

Doubles (3,2)
1. Kris Sorokolet/Angie Shakhraichuk (BU) vs. Regina Espindola/Ekaterina Grib (ISU), 4-4, unfinished
2. Paula Baranano/Livia Kraus (BU) def. Maty Cancini/Annabella Bonadonna (ISU), 6-1
3. Dominika Sujova/Jessica Hinojosa (BU) def. Ekaterina Repina/Margarita Timakova (ISU), 6-1

Singles (3,4,2)
1. Jessica Hinojosa (BU) vs. Maty Cancini (ISU), 6-3, 4-3, unfinished
2. #57 Livia Kraus (BU) def. Ekaterina Grib (ISU), 6-1, 6-3
3. Paula Baranano (BU) def. Regina Espindola (ISU), 6-1, 6-1
4. Kris Sorokolet (BU) def. Ekaterina Repina (ISU), 6-3, 6-2
5. Angie Shakhraichuk (BU) vs. Annabella Bonadonna (ISU), 6-2, 5-2, unfinished
6. Dominika Sujova (BU) vs. Margarita Timakova (ISU), 6-3, 3-6, 2-1, unfinished

Players Mentioned

Annabella Bonadonna

Maty Cancini

Regina Espindola

Ekaterina Grib

Ekaterina Repina

Margarita Timakova

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics