The ISU women’s tennis team lost its final regular season match to Nebraska at the Ames Racquet & Fitness Center on Saturday.

The Cyclones began the meet with two victories in the No. 1 and No. 3 spots, winning the doubles point.

“They created an incredible atmosphere for doubles,” coach Michele Conlon said.

“Nebraska is a very strong team. We played really well to earn the doubles point.”

Kristin Gyaki and Sabrina Evers earned an 8-4 victory in the No. 1 spot against Nebraska’s Rose Ketmayura and Gitte Ostermann.

“They were smart players. It was fun to play against them,” Evers said.

Courtney Leese and Evangelina Soriano teamed up to win the No. 3 spot against Nebraska’s Pamela Castillejos and Jennifer Cremieux.

“It’s exciting to win the doubles point,” Leese said. “All three doubles teams played great matches.”

The Huskers dominated singles play, however, winning all six matches.

Leese had some close matches in singles play, winning one set 6-2. She ended up losing her other two sets to Rebecca Harvey, 6-4 and 6-3.

“We were very excited to play. We always have a good time,” Leese said. “A lot of family came to watch.”

The women drew a fairly large crowd for senior day, as seniors Tara Goedjen, Gyaki and Leese were honored before their final matches in Ames.

“Everyone was excited for senior day,” Leese said.

“There were a lot of emotions, everyone got fired up. It was a bittersweet loss.”

The team travels to Kansas City for the Big 12 Championships April 24-27.

“It’s more than a match, it’s an event,” Conlon said. “If student-athletes can’t get excited about playing in the Big 12 Championship, they can’t get excited. Our women will be excited and eager to play.”

Although the pairings for the tournament have not been announced yet, there will definitely be strong competition for the Cyclones.

“All other Big 12 teams are ranked,” Conlon said. “We had one of the toughest schedules in school history. The tournament will give us another shot at some of these teams.”