The ISU women’s tennis team’s season ended Thursday with a loss to Colorado in the first round of the Big 12 tournament. The Cyclones fell 4-0, as only two of the three doubles matches and three of the six singles matches were played to completion.

ISU players had won sets in each of the three matches that were not completed. Senior Sabrina Evers and freshman Danielle Uscinski had each won their first set. Sophomore Charlotte Ljungkrantz had evened her match by winning the second set.

“It didn’t go as well as we hoped, but we came out fired up and believed we could win,” ISU freshman Jill Palen said. “We all had close matches and fought extremely hard. Everyone played the best they could.”

The Cyclones closed the season with a record of 5-14, 0-12 in Big 12 play. The team’s best stretch came in March, when it went 4-2, including victories in two of three competitions on a road trip to Arizona.

“We didn’t have any team victories in conference this year, but we had some singles and doubles victories and some close matches,” Palen said. “Everyone took the year as a learning experience. We gained more experience, and we know what to expect next year, because we’ve been in this situation before.”

The Cyclones’ tightest conference match came against Texas Tech on April 10, when they lost a 4-3 thriller that gave Palen and Uscinski their first Big 12 singles victories.

“[The Texas Tech match] showed us how close we are to some of the other teams,” Uscinski said. “We saw that just a few points here and there could make a huge difference. It motivates us for next year to set higher goals for ourselves.”

At one point in early April, the Cyclones hadn’t played a match in Ames in more than a month.

“During the middle of the season, traveling every weekend got a little tiring both mentally and physically,” Palen said. “The team spent so much time together, though, that we developed really good team chemistry, which we can take into the next couple of years.”

There were several highlights for the Cyclones throughout the year. Ljungkrantz won four straight matches at one point, and Evers, playing in the No. 1 singles slot, picked up three conference victories.

Palen’s freshman campaign had mixed results, she said.

“I was a little disappointed with how I finished, but it was a good learning experience. As a freshman playing No. 3 [singles] in the Big 12, I play people who are more experienced,” Palen said.

“I can work on improving my game this summer, then come out next year and already have a year of experience.”

Evers, Ljungkrantz and sophomore Beth Chermel were recently named to the Academic All-Big 12 team. Student-athletes with a grade point average over 3.0 were eligible for selection. This marks the fourth consecutive year that at least half of Iowa State’s team has been selected.