The Iowa State tennis team wrapped up its early-season homestand with a mixed weekend, falling to the Wichita State Shockers 4-2 before bouncing back to defeat the St. Thomas Tommies 6-1 for its first win of the season.
The Cyclones opened the weekend with a 4-2 loss to Wichita State, marking the Shockers’ first-ever victory in Ames. Wichita State secured the crucial doubles point with 6-2 wins in the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles matches. Despite the loss, Iowa State improved to 2-1 in doubles matches on the season following a doubles win against St. Thomas.
Wichita State clinched the match by taking the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 5 singles contests. Freshman Alicia Dale earned her second win of the season in the No. 6 singles match, defeating Wichita graduate student Anne Knuettel in straight sets. Dale has been a consistent performer for the Cyclones, winning every match she’s played this season and providing a reliable point in the sixth spot—an important foundation for Iowa State moving forward.
Another bright spot for Iowa State came from junior Stanislava Shulzhenko in the No. 4 singles match. The North Texas transfer tallied her first point as a Cyclone with a hard-fought 6-2, 7-5 victory over Wichita’s Kristina Kudryavtseva.
After the tough loss, the Cyclones bounced back on Sunday with a dominant 6-1 victory over the St. Thomas Tommies. Iowa State started strong by capturing the doubles point, taking the No. 1 and No. 4 doubles matches. Shulzhenko teamed with sophomore Mari Paz Alberto Vilar to secure a 6-3 win in the No. 1 doubles match, while freshmen Gabriella Kellner and Valentina Vargas powered through with a 6-2 victory in the No. 3 doubles match.
The Cyclones carried that momentum into singles, winning five of six matches to seal their first meet victory of the season. Alberto Vilar earned her first win of the year in the No. 1 singles match, defeating junior Caroline Lindahl 6-3, 6-0. Freshman Alicia Dale made her No. 3 singles debut with an impressive 6-0, 6-3 win, improving her personal record to a scorching 3-0.
Sophomore Suzanie Pretorius and junior Valeska San Martin Ramirez also contributed straight-set singles wins at the No. 4 and No. 5 spots, respectively. Meanwhile, Vargas notched her first singles win of the season in the No. 6 match, earning a hard-fought victory in three sets.
Looking ahead, the Cyclones will aim to get back to .500 as they travel to face the UNLV Rebels on Friday. With strong performances across the lineup, Iowa State is building momentum for the rest of the season.
https://iowastatedaily.com/330194/sports/cyclone-tennis-splits-homestand/
