Colorado defeat puts conference loss streak at 37 for tennis team

Al Reed

Although the ISU tennis team salvaged a split in Honolulu over break, another loss within the conference kept the Cyclones conference losing streak going, now at 37 matches.

No. 43 Colorado disposed of Iowa State, 6-1, March 10, but the tennis team did not go quietly. The Cyclones No. 1 player, junior Jill Palen, played a tough match against Jessica Vanderdys, but fell 6-4, 6-7 (7-3), 0-1 (10-1). Palen trailed the first set after Vanderdys looked sharp and took a 3-0 lead, but Palen adjusted midway through to take the first set.

“I got more balls in play,” Palen said. “I figured out what I had to do to stay in the match.”

But after the first set, Palen could not put Vanderdys away.

“I was playing well but after the score was 5-3, she was just playing a lot better than she had been,” Palen said. “I couldn’t, and that’s why I lost. It’s really frustrating because I was leading 5-3 and she came back. I felt pretty good out there, but I just need to close it out.”

Closing out matches was the theme of the night, but more so for junior Danielle Uscinski. Uscinski dominated early in the first set, taking the set at 6-3. But in the second set, when she was leading 3-1, she began to net her baseline shots, and allowed Ewa Losinski to take the set 6-4.

“I saw an opportunity to close it out,” Uscinski said. “But sometimes you get a little tight.”

By the third set, Losinski had complete control of the match, taking a 5-2 lead.

“She was a lot more aggressive in the third set,” Uscinski said. “And it put a lot of pressure on me.”

ISU coach Michele Conlon said she believes her players will close these matches at some point.

“With Uscinski in particular, she needed to do some tactical things at the end of her match,” Conlon said. “Instead the opponents get grooved off of her strokes. She’s not giving it up mentally, and we have some confidence that she’ll close these away.

“Palen’s opponent was a streaky player, and she was just on for the last three games. It wasn’t giving up – not that we haven’t done that in our matches, but Colorado did earn some of those points tonight.”

Caitlin Loprinzi returned to action against Colorado, and hardly looked like she had not played a match in more than a year, winning 6-3, 6-1 to score the lone point for the Cyclones.

“I’m just enormously proud of [Loprinzi], because she’s waited since April 2, 2005 for this moment. Caitlin [Loprinzi] has her own special spirit about her, too – on the court, the way she plays. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and hopefully she can be a spark for us over the next eight weeks.”

Palen and Eve Soriano won their doubles match against Colorado 8-2.

Then it was off to Honolulu for a three-match trip, but the first match against Hawaii was rained out. The next time the Cyclones could take the court, they defeated Wyoming 5-2.

Chrissy Derouin and Uscinski rediscovered their early season success in doubles, winning 8-1. Derouin and Uscinski also won their singles matches, 6-2, 6-2 and 6-0, 6-1, respectively.

Kara Hickey picked up a win 6-4, 6-2 and Loprinzi continued her comeback with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 win.

Washington State sent the Cyclones packing 6-1 in the their final match in Hawaii. Uscinski won the lone point, a 6-2, 7-6 (7-1) win over Aleksandra Cekic. Beth Chermel and Hickey partnered for their fourth doubles win, 8-4.

The Cyclones next match will be at home against No. 54 Texas A&M Friday.