April 16, 2010
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - With inclement weather looming, the Texas A&M women's tennis team raced to a 6-1 victory over Iowa State tonight at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
Because of the threat of rain, the start time was moved up an hour and the match format was altered so that the teams started with singles matches before playing doubles. A&M earned straight-set wins on five courts to clinch the match and then swept the doubles competition to improve to 11-6 overall and 6-1 in Big 12 Conference matches. In addition, A&M head coach Bobby Kleinecke moved within one win of reaching his 400th career victory in his 25th season at the helm of the Aggies.
Iowa State, winless in 14 meetings against the Aggies, drops to 9-11, 2-6.
"We knew that Iowa State was going to be a little dangerous," Kleinecke said. "We felt like we should win the match, but we knew that this was going to be a dangerous match; at least the coaches did."
Nazari Urbina (Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico) promptly put A&M on the scoreboard, winning nine consecutive games and acing the match winner to close out a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Maria Fernanda Macedo at the No. 2 line. With the win, which took less than an hour, Urbina improved to 11-0 at the No. 2 position, including 7-0 in Big 12 matches.
Morgan Frank (Oldsmar, Fla.) quickly followed and put the Aggies ahead, 2-0, leading the entire match against Tessa Lang en route to a 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 3. Marie-Christine Chartier then gave the Cyclones their only point of the match with a 6-2, 6-1 win against Lauren Santacroce (Spring, Texas) at the No. 5 line.
Christi Liles (Largo, Fla.) gave the Aggies a 3-1 lead after finishing off Liza Wischer at the No. 6 spot. Liles lost the opening game but won the next six to win the first set 6-1. Wischer got up a break at 5-4 in the second set, but Liles won the next three games to close out the match and complete the straight-set victory.
Elzé Potgieter (Bloemfontein, South Africa) then clinched the match for the Aggies, defeating Erin Karonis, 6-2, 7-5 at the No. 1 line. Sheri Olivier (Topeka, Kan.) then closed out singles with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Jenna Langhorst at No. 4.
"In singles, some people came out and took care of business pretty good," Kleinecke said, "but I just didn't feel like the intensity was as high as we need it to be when you are at the end of the year, two weeks before the Big 12 tournament and the NCAAs are not far off. We need to be a lot sharper than that. I kind of told them that between the singles and the doubles.
"This was a different match playing the singles first because of the weather. Maybe that had a little factor in that, but I don't think so. We just played a little tentative and we were waiting for them to lose instead of us going out to win it in the singles."
In doubles, Liles and Olivier were first off after cruising to an 8-1 victory over Alyssa Palen and Wischer at No. 3. Stephanie Davidson (Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas) and Frank then secured the doubles point and put the Aggies up 6-1, defeating Karonis and Langhorst, 8-3, at the No. 2 line.
Potgieter and Urbina completed the doubles sweep, but it didn't come easily for the 29th-ranked tandem in the nation. Lang and Macedo jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but the Aggie duo fought back and tied the score at 5-5. The teams held serve until A&M broke to take a 7-6 lead. The Aggies then held serve to complete the 8-6 victory.
"In the doubles, other than the first three games at No. 1 doubles, I thought we came out and took charge," Kleinecke said. "I really think Iowa State is better in doubles than they are in singles. Some of their weaknesses and some of their good shots show up a lot more in the doubles, so I was very impressed how we went out and played there."
Kleinecke will have his first chance at his 400th career victory Saturday when the Aggies host No. 49 Nebraska (17-4, 6-2 Big 12). First serve against the Huskers is slated for 4 p.m. at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
"Nebraska is a very solid team," Kleinecke said. "That was one of the best matches we played last year was at Nebraska, indoors. We are hoping that we can get a good crowd, and we are hoping that we are outside. There is a lot planned here at Aggieland on Parents Weekend with the Maroon and White game and our tennis match, and I hope we get a lot of people out. And then there is the baseball game after that, so let's hope the weather cooperates with everybody."
And when asked about going for No. 400, Kleinecke said, "There are a lot of players that have played into that, but that is going to be in the very back of my mind, because we are going for a seed in the conference tournament first."
Free live video and scoring coverage of all A&M home matches is available at AggieAthletics.com.
No. 34 Texas A&M 6, Iowa State 1
April 16, 2010
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center
College Station, Texas
Attendance: 263
Singles
1. (#65) Elzé Potgieter (TAMU) def. Erin Karonis (ISU), 6-2, 7-5
2. (#72) Nazari Urbina (TAMU) def. Maria Fernanda Macedo (ISU), 6-1, 6-0
3. (#109) Morgan Frank (TAMU) def. Tessa Lang (ISU), 6-2, 6-2
4. Sheri Olivier (TAMU) def. Jenna Langhorst (ISU), 6-3, 6-4
5. Marie-Christine Chartier (ISU) def. Lauren Santacroce (TAMU), 6-2, 6-1
6. Christi Liles (TAMU) def. Liza Wischer (ISU), 6-1, 7-5
Doubles (A&M wins the point)
1. (#29) Potgieter/Urbina (TAMU) def. Lang/Macedo (ISU), 8-6
2. Stephanie Davidson/Frank (TAMU) def. Karonis/Langhorst (ISU), 8-3
3. Liles/Olivier (TAMU) def. Alyssa Palen/Wischer (ISU), 8-1
Order of finish
Doubles: 3, 2, 1
Singles: 2, 3, 5, 6, 1*, 4
*Clinched match
Team records
Texas A&M: 11-6, 6-1 Big 12
Iowa State: 9-11, 2-6 Big 12