The ISU women’s tennis team battled gusty winds in Boulder, Colo. on March 12, but lost to nature’s fury and a more experienced Colorado team, 7-0.

The Buffaloes, who frequently play outside, were not phased by the windy weather. The Cyclones, on the other hand, made their first outdoor appearance of the season to fierce weather conditions.

Although the temperature was a comfortable 62 degrees, the wind gusts in Boulder were estimated to have topped 30 mph.

Junior Beth Chermel said the wind played a large role in Iowa State’s poor showing.

“The wind was so strong, it literally blew my racquet out of my hand once,” she said. “It was extremely difficult to swing smoothly.”

Chermel said the team knew in advance it would likely be playing outside, but it wasn’t expecting the blustery conditions.

“We were prepared for the altitude difference, so that wasn’t a problem,” Chermel said. “The wind was something that we didn’t prepare for; it was out of our control.”

Sophomore Jill Palen said she also felt the wind affecting her game. Palen, who plays in the No. 1 position for Iowa State, said she double faulted more in her singles match than she has all year combined.

“If you can’t get the serve in, you have no chance to set up the point,” Palen said. “We didn’t have time for strategy. We just had to focus on getting the ball back.

“The ball was constantly changing directions, so I felt like I was scrambling to get to it. I tried to use the direction of the wind to my advantage, but it was so inconsistent.”

Colorado got after the Cyclones right off the bat, taking both doubles matches to receive the point. Iowa State had to default one of the matches because of the absence of freshman Caitlin Loprinzi, who is out from injury.

The Buffaloes also dominated the singles courts, knocking off the Cyclones without a match resulting in a tiebreaker. Iowa State’s other freshman, Chrissy Derouin, put up a fight against Veera Nurmi at the No. 4 spot.

After a nail biting first set, Nurmi finally finished off Derouin 7-5. Nurmi went on to take the second set 6-3. Derouin said the match was disappointing and frustrating because she felt she could have won. Palen said she agreed that the entire match was frustrating because Iowa State didn’t play its game.

“Colorado was able to work through it better,” Palen said. “They were more experienced in those weather conditions and they played smarter.”