The ISU tennis team returns to classes this week after spending their Spring Break battling teams on the East Coast. The Cyclones started off the away stint taking on the University of North Carolina-Wilmington of the Colonial Athletic Association.

Iowa State (5-5, 0-4) started the day off with wins in the first and third doubles positions, earning them the first point of the dual. The Lady Seahawks (11-7) were able to take two singles matches off the Cyclones before falling 5-2. Despite the lopsided score, several Cyclones experienced heavily contested matches, including a three set win by junior Caitlin Loprinzi in the third position.

“It was a really good match,” Loprinzi said. “Both sets were kind of different. The first set she made a lot more errors. The second she ended up winning – she really played well. I just had to kind of dig deep to pull out the win.”

In the second match of the week, Iowa State traveled south to Conway, S.C. to face Coastal Carolina (11-3). The Lady Chanticleers began the dual winning all three doubles matches. The Cyclones fought back with wins by sophomore Kara Hickey in the second position and Loprinzi in the third but came up short in the end. Falling 5-2, it was Iowa State’s first loss in nonconference play this season. Hickey and Loprinzi both finished the trip undefeated in singles play.

“Coastal Carolina was a strong team with a lot of wins,” coach Michele Conlon said. “They had a lot of very consistent players that used a lot of topspin, good outdoor players. Coastal Carolina usually wins their conference [Big South].”

The Cyclones had a match scheduled for Saturday against Elon that was canceled because of poor weather conditions. Rain kept the team from practicing Friday and forecasts for Saturday projected more rain and temperatures below NCAA outdoor standards. The match will not be made up.

Up next for Iowa State is Nebraska on March 31 in Ames, giving the team a weekend to catch their breath before closing out the tough Big 12 schedule.