The Iowa State tennis season ended abruptly last Thursday at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Sooners defeated the Cyclones 5-0, with the sixth singles match and doubles matches not completed because the Sooners had clinched the victory with the five wins.

ISU Coach Michele Conlon said she anticipated a tough match heading into the tournament in Lincoln, Neb.

The Sooners recently defeated the Colorado Buffaloes, who advanced to the finals of the Big 12 Tournament this past weekend.

“We knew we’d have our hands full. I think Oklahoma is a pretty hot team right now,” Conlon said.

Conlon said that she shuffled the lineup around to try to top the Sooners, who beat ISU earlier this season, but the moves did not work.

At No. 1 singles, Ann Simons fell 6-2, 6-4. Kirsten Fagen was defeated by her opponent 6-1, 6-2. Kendra Leese suffered a 6-3, 6-1 loss in her No. 3 match.

Mary Rumbaoa was blanked in the fourth singles match 6-0, 6-0, while Mollie Racette lost her two-set battle by scores of 6-3, 6-0.

Despite the 5-0 shutout, Conlon was encouraged by her team’s play.

“I’m proud of the effort of my players,” she said.

She said the fact that a sixth-seeded team in the conference could play that strongly is a compliment to the league as a whole.

“The conference is clearly stronger than it was last year,” Conlon said. “The Big 12 is so strong that it is difficult to make that jump [to the upper division].”

The Cyclones finished 11th in the Big 12 after compiling a 1-10 record during the dual meet season. Overall, ISU owned a 6-14 mark.

Conlon said the squad played well, even though the numbers did not add up in the win column.

“Throughout the season they were very determined,” she said.

The Big 12 Championships marked the end of three Cyclones’ careers. Maggi Agustsson, Kirsten Fagen and Mollie Racette each closed out their reigns on the hard-court.

Conlon said the three were a major part of the ISU team over the years.

“Each of them really had something positive to contribute to the program,” she said.

She said that Agusstson “brought a lot of spirit to the team. She’s got a lot of enthusiasm.”

Conlon said Racette was very team-oriented and a hard worker who contributed a lot to her teammates and the Ames community.

She described Fagen as a strong leader who played in the top half of the lineup her whole career.

Next year, the Cyclones will be led by a new trio of returnees, Simons, Leese and Rumboao.