The ISU women’s tennis team came close, but couldn’t overcome in-state rival Drake Saturday, losing 4-3 to the Bulldogs at the Ames Racquet and Fitness Center.

The Cyclones got off to a sharp start, winning two of three doubles matches to take the lead heading into singles play.

“We played some outstanding doubles matches and did a real good job of closing out matches,” ISU head coach Michele Conlon said.

“I was pleased with the effort [the team] had.”

Freshman Jill Palen and sophomore Charlotte Ljungkrantz teamed to take one of the doubles matches for the Cyclones, and the combination of senior Sabrina Evers and sophomore Eve Soriano captured the other match for Iowa State.

The Cyclones couldn’t carry the momentum over to singles play, however, as Drake won four of the six matches to slide by with the win.

“Doubles and singles play are two different things,” Conlon said. “We have some good doubles teams put together right now. [Drake’s] top two singles players are very strong, and if you look at the other four matches they could have gone either way.

“Overall, we are very comparable teams; they played just a little better.”

Palen and Ljungkrantz both claimed victories in their singles matches, taking different routes to their wins.

Palen won in straight sets, winning easily 6-0 in the first and grinding out a 7-5 win to close out the match.

“I was very pleased with the way Jill played and thought she showed a lot of mental toughness at the end of her match,” Conlon said. “She can adjust her game style to play a scrappy game style, but, when she has to, can play some very aggressive points.”

After taking the first set 7-5, Ljungkrantz’s opponent, Izele Van Blerk, was injured during the match and forced to forfeit midway through the second set.

The Cyclones begin conference play next weekend when they travel south for matches against Oklahoma Saturday and Oklahoma State Sunday. With a few matches under their belts, the Cyclones are looking forward to diving into Big 12 play.

“The Big 12 Conference in tennis is one of the most exciting in the country. Our conference is very strong with a lot of nationally ranked teams,” Conlon said. “I think they’re ready to go.”