April 8, 2012
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -
The Illinois State women's tennis team rebounded from a Saturday defeat to down Missouri Valley competitor, Northern Iowa, 6-1.
"Doubles is key," said head coach Chris Hoover. "If we can start the match out with a point from doubles, we can keep that momentum going and stay competitive. I'm very pleased with the work the team did out there today."
The Redbirds posted the point after downing UNI in the first and second flights. Aniko Kiss and Emmie Marx defeated opponents Krissy Lankelma and Cassandra Dix, 8-5, in the No.1 position, and Phyllis Tigges and Ariane Maack posted a 8-2 victory over Jessica Kunzelmann and Nina Pfahler in the second flight. Stefanie Youngberg and Hannah Esker fell to UNI's Stefannia Sampaio and Chelsea Moore in a close match, 8-5.
Esker began singles play by sweeping her opponent in the No.6 position, Sampaio, 6-0, 6-0. In the fourth flight, Carolina Abello lead ISU to a win over Moore after a close first match, 7-6, 6-3. Kiss and Marx both posted solid wins over their respective Panther opponents; Kiss defeated Pfahler, 6-2, 6-3 in the No.1 position, and Marx beat Dix, 6-2, 6-4. Tigges posted a win over Kunzelmann, 6-3, 6-2 in the third flight. The only point loss of the day came from Youngberg, who was downed by Lankelma, 7-5, 6-2.
"I'm very proud of the way the team came back today," said Hoover. "We had a tough loss yesterday, and they responded beautifully."
The Redbirds head back home to compete against Wichita State on April 14 (1 p.m.) and Creighton on April 15 (10 a.m.) on the Gregory Street Tennis Courts.
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