The Iowa State Women’s tennis team makes history this weekend as sophomore Mari Paz Alberto Vilar and junior Stanislava Shulzhenko become the first Cyclones ever to make the NCAA Doubles Championship in an action-filled weekend for the whole team.
Three Cyclones went to College Station, Texas, for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Central Sectional Championship, where in singles play, Alberto Vilar and Ashlee Narker would compete. In doubles, the aforementioned Alberto Vilar would play with Shulzhenko to compete for a chance to qualify for the NCAA Singles or Doubles Championship.
On day one of the sectional championship, both doubles and singles would compete.
In doubles action, Alberto Vilar and Shulzhenko faced the No. 79 doubles team in the country, Maralgoo Chogsomjav and Zhanel Rustemova, in the first round. The Cyclones overcame this first obstacle, winning 6-2, 6-0.
In singles action, junior Ashlee Narker faced the ranked No. 70 in the country Oyinlomo Quadre in the first round, where Narker lost 7-6, 6-2. Alberto Vilar ended up with a little bit more success, as she faced Bojana Pozder in the first round, winning 7-6(6), 2-6, 6-3.
On day two of the competition in singles, Alberto Vilar faced off against the No. 103-ranked player in the country, Kyoka Kubo, where Alberto Vilar lost 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
With this loss, the Cyclones were eliminated from the singles bracket.
Doubles went better for the Cyclones as Alberto Vilar and Shulzhenko faced Mika Dagan Fruchtman and Neena Feldman for a spot in the semifinals of the doubles tournament. The Cyclones once again emerge victorious, winning the match 6-2, 4-6, [10-8].
Day three of the tournament was where the Cyclones got their first loss of the weekend, as they faced the No. 38 team in the country, Daria Smetannikov and Mia Kupres. The Cyclones fell short in the semifinals, losing the match 6-0, 6-1.
The Sectionals championship had three doubles-qualifying spots: the two finalists and the third-place teams. After losing in the semifinals, the Cyclones kept their NCAA doubles championship dreams alive by facing the other semifinal team that lost to decide the third-place team that would qualify for the championships.
The Cyclones faced off against Yu-Chin Tsai and Victoria Gomez O’Hayon in this match. Both teams fought valiantly, but the Cyclones had the edge, winning the match 6-4, 7-6[5] to qualify for the NCAA doubles championship.
The five other Cyclones on the Women’s tennis team competed in Waco, Texas, for the HEB invite, playing one last tournament before the end of the fall season.
The tournament hosted both doubles and singles brackets, with sophomore Suzanie Pretorius and sophomore Julia Camblor competing as one of the doubles teams and freshman Gabriella Kellner and junior Valeska San Martin Ramirez competing as the other doubles team.
All four of those players competed in singles, as well as freshman Kira Smith. Each player was put into a draw for singles matches to avoid teammates facing each other.
On day one, both Cyclones would win their first doubles match of the day, with Camblor and Pretorius winning their first match 6-4 and Kellner and Martin Ramirez winning their first match 6-3. They both went on to play another match on the first game, with Pretorius and Camblor losing 6-1 and Kellner and Martin Ramirez winning 7-5.
Singles were more of a mixed bag, as Camblor lost her first match 6-3, 6-2. Pretorius lost her match 6-2, 6-0 and Smith lost her match 6-1, 6-1. Martin Ramirez won her match 6-4, 6-4 and Kellner won her match 6-3, 6-1.
Day two would be a poor day for the Cyclones. In doubles play, Camblor and Pretorius lost their match 7-6 (3) while Kellner and Martin Ramirez also lost their match 6-4.
In singles play, Camblor lost her match 6-3, 2-6, [10-6], Pretorius lost her match 0-6, 7-6(3), [10-7] and Smith lost 6-2, 6-1. Martin Ramirez won her match 6-3, 2-6, [10-0] and Kellner won 6-2, 6-4.
Day three would be a successful day for the Cyclones. In doubles play, Martin Ramirez and Kellner lost their match 7-6(2). In singles, Smith lost her match 6-3, 6-2, Pretorius won her match 6-0, 6-3, Kellner won her match 6-3, 6-2 and Martin Ramirez won her match 4-1 with her opponent withdrawing due to injury.
With Kellner and Martin Ramirez’s wins, they won their singles draw.
Winning performances this weekend
The Cyclones had a successful performance this weekend as Kellner and Martin Ramirez both won their singles draw, and with the big-time performance by Alberto Vilar and Shulzhenko to place third in doubles for the ITA Sectional Championship, qualifying for the NCAA Doubles Championship.
Rougher performance at the HEB Invitational
While Martin Ramirez and Kellner had great performances at the HEB Invitational, Smith, Camblor and Pretorius all had rough outings in both singles and doubles. Camblor and Pretorius only picked up one win in doubles, while losing two matches. In singles play, it was a much rougher performance with those three combining to go 1-7, with only Pretorius picking up a win in singles.
The Cyclones will return to action one last time for the fall season at the NCAA Doubles Championship on Nov.18.
