AMES – Iowa State tennis defeated North Texas 5-2 and Omaha 4-0 to start the season Friday.
It was a dominant display by Iowa State at its new Ames tennis facility. For head coach Jaron Maestas, the facility is more than just a new home; it’s a new beginning.
“Last year, we went through some rough times with a team that we kind of put together in one month,” Maestas said. “To watch these kids walk into the building that I saw in the summer that was just dirt on the ground, to watch it go up, to see the lights, to see the fans, to see the logos, it’s a dream for me. It’s because it’s the first day towards what I see happening in the future.”
North Texas Takeaways
Iowa State jumped to an early lead with points from the No. 1 and No. 3 spots in doubles. Freshmen Cristina Ramos Sierra and Julia Camblor in the No. 1 spot dispatched the Mean Green 6-4. Sophomore Valeska San Martin Ramirez and freshman Suzanie Pretorius clinched 6-0 in the No. 3 spot.
In singles, it was all Cyclones. Freshmen Camblor, Mari Paz Alberto Vilar and Pretorius won the No. 1, 2 and 4 spots respectively.
Ramirez delivered the knockout blow with a 6-3, 7-5 victory in the No. 6 spot.
This was the first time either team had faced each other in tennis. With the win, Iowa State moved to 1-0 and North Texas to 2-1.
“North Texas is a good team,” Maestas said. “They’re experienced, so it was good to see the [ISU] freshmen come out in their first experience and handle the kind of pressure to come out and compete.”
Omaha Takeaways
The Cyclones didn’t lose a step after their first win, picking right back up where they left off by dispatching the Omaha Mavericks 4-0.
Iowa State came out of the gates hot, sweeping both doubles spots. The No. 1 spot pairing of Camblor and Ramos Sierra bested Omaha 6-0. Freshmen Gabriela Felix and Vilar, in the No. 2 spot, won 6-1.
The early leads were a sign of things to come as the Cyclones controlled the entire meet.
Ramirez continued her winning ways from earlier by taking a 6-2, 6-0 victory in the No. 6 singles spot. Next, it was Vilar’s turn, winning 6-1, 6-1 in the No. 2 spot. Felix landed the decisive blow, taking both sets, 6-2 and 6-0.
Iowa State got its 12th victory in 13 matchups with Omaha and moved its win streak to 10 matches versus the Mavericks. The Cyclones move to 2-0 and Omaha to 2-1.
Despite not being at full strength with senior Anna Supapitch Kuearum and sophomore Ashlee Narker both out, Iowa State was still able to comfortably win both meets.
“I think this is just the start,” Ramirez said after the Omaha match. “We have a young team but I really believe we can be successful. Hopefully, we’ll make it to the NCAA tournament, if not this year, I promise it will be the next one.”
