The Cyclones were in Iowa City, Iowa, taking on the No. 52 Oregon Ducks on Sunday, and fell just short of the comeback, losing 4-3 after trailing 3-0 to begin the match.
The match came down to the fourth singles spot between Gala Arangio and Uxia Martinez Moral. Arangio won the first set 7-5 but dropped the next two to give Oregon the last point it needed to secure the victory.
In doubles, Ashlee Narker and Valeska San Martin Ramirez dropped their match, giving the Ducks the doubles point with nobody in the third doubles spot for the Cyclones. This gave Oregon a 2-0 lead heading into singles with no sixth singles player available for Iowa State.
In singles, Anna Supapitch Kuearum won 7-6, 6-0, Isabella Dunlap won 7-6, 6-3 and Narker won 6-4, 6-3. San Martin Ramirez lost her match 0-6, 0-6, and Arangio narrowly lost 7-5, 1-6, 3-6.
Tiebreakers kept the Cyclones in it
Kuearum started her match up 4-1 but let her opponent back in it to a score of 6-6 and a tiebreaker to decide the set. Kuearum went on to win the tiebreaker and take the first set 7-6.
After the hot start that was likely not how Kuearum wanted the set to pan out, but no matter the path taken, Kuearum got the set. Kuearum used that momentum to win the second set 6-0, giving the Cyclones another point.
Contradictory to Kuearum, Dunlap and the opponent were neck and neck the whole first set, also taking it to a tiebreaker. Dunlap also stole the set and won 7-6, then won the second set 6-3 to give Iowa State another point.
Same story, different match
What seems like a common theme for this Iowa State team is a lack of depth coming back to bite the team. In a match that is played so closely, just like Sunday, it is crucial that everyone plays their part and contributes to the best of their ability. Iowa State did that Sunday, but it did not have the sixth singles match or third doubles spot filled.
Despite not knowing whether those two matches would have changed the outcome of the match, both of them would be opportunities for Iowa State to impact the match and change what the final score would look like.
The top three singles win big
For a team that has struggled on the singles side of matches recently, Iowa State came out firing Sunday. Kuearum, Dunlap and Narker each won their singles matches in straight sets, giving the Cyclones a substantial boost after starting the match down 3-0.
The Cyclones begin Big 12 Conference play March 1, when they travel to Manhattan, Kansas, to take on the Wildcats from Kansas State.
