“This is the spark we need to go and get this one,” head coach Jaron Maestas said to Anna Supapitch Kuearum and Ashlee Narker during the first doubles match. Iowa State used the first doubles victory to fuel a 5-2 win over Houston on Sunday.
In doubles, the Cyclones needed to win both matches to get the doubles point, while Houston only needed one with no third doubles team for Iowa State. The disadvantage did not hinder the Cyclones’ play.
Kuearum and Narker took an early 2-1 lead, but they did not let Houston stay in it for long, winning 6-2. The Cyclones’ other pair of Valeska San Martin Ramirez and Juliette Nask played the first few games close with their opponent but pulled away and won 6-3.
Singles favored Iowa State as well. The top two courts for the Cyclones won in straight sets. Kuearum won 6-1, 6-2, and Narker won 6-3, 6-1.
Nask and Gala Arangio both won in three sets. Nask won 6-0, 6-1, 6-2, and Arangio won 7-5, 4-6, 7-5. San Martin Ramirez was the only singles loss for Iowa State, losing 6-1, 3-6, 4-6.
Coaching adjustments fueled doubles win
Kuearum and Narker started the doubles match playing at the same pace as Houston, resulting in a 2-1 start. Narker made a few mistakes early on, but Maestas constantly told Narker what to do differently or how to adjust.
“Quit playing at their tempo. Play your own game, and be confident,” Maestas said after the Cyclone pair dropped their second and final point.
Kuearum and Narker played their own game after that, taking the doubles match 6-2.
Nask picks up first win
After a long year of injuries and getting moved around in the lineup, Nask won a first singles match of the year in the season finale.
Nask dominated the first set and won 6-0 but struggled to find that same groove in the second set, losing 6-1.
Instead of letting the second set get to Nask’s head, Nask used it to propel to a strong third set, winning the match 6-0, 1-6, 6-2.
Second Big 12 win
The win Sunday gives Iowa State a second Big 12 win of the season and two wins in its last four matches.
Additionally, the win moved the Cyclones up to 12th in the Big 12, which means they would play the five seed in the first round of the Big 12 Championships. The teams still in the hunt for the five seed are TCU, Baylor and BYU.
Iowa State now enters the postseason and will compete in the first round of the Big 12 Championships on Wednesday in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
