AMES— After nearly two months of winless play, the Cyclones (4-14, 2-9 Big 12) utilized strong performances from the bottom of the roster to earn their first wins of the conference season, defeating Cincinnati 4-2 on Friday and West Virginia 4-2 on Sunday.
The dominant play of Julia Camblor established the tone for the Cyclones while the rest of the lower courts were dominated by the cardinal and gold. Despite the victories, Iowa State’s struggles in close sets can decide matches, which was the case over the weekend.
The Cyclones have one more weekend remaining before concluding the season at the Big 12 Championships. Iowa State will travel to Manhattan, Kansas, to take on the Kansas State Wildcats Friday before ending the regular season against the Oklahoma State Cowboys Sunday.
Camblor controls the weekend
What a three-day stretch for Cyclone sophomore Camblor.
On Friday, Camblor began the meeting against the Bearcats with a 6-2 victory on the No. 2 doubles court. While the Cyclones lost the doubles point, Camblor’s win set the mood for the remainder of Iowa State’s final homestand.
In the singles matches, Camblor was once again the first athlete to finish her match with a decisive 6-0, 6-3 win on the No. 4 court. That victory began a streak of three wins by the Cyclones, which was too big a hole for Cincinnati to escape from.
On Sunday, Camblor opened up the competition again, combining with junior Stanislava Shulzhenko to pick up a 6-2 win in their doubles match. That, paired with Mari Paz Alberto Vilar and Ashlee Narker’s win on the No. 1 court, gave ISU the pivotal doubles point.
Camblor had her longest match of the weekend against West Virginia freshman Lyla Byers, but it was ultimately her most important victory yet. With Iowa State up 3-2, Camblor won the third set 6-2 to give the Cyclones their second straight win.
For a team that has struggled with consistency all season, Camblor’s strength over the weekend was a great sign and a huge stepping stone towards next season.
Lower-court depth extends beyond Camblor
One of the best parts about tennis is that it’s a team sport. A team can have the two best players in the nation, but if they don’t have anybody strong on the lower courts, they won’t win many matches.
Fortunately for the Cyclones, this weekend’s lower courts belonged to Iowa State.
Freshman Alicia Dale, who had struggled in previous weeks, put together a strong weekend on the No. 5 court with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Cincinnati’s Tara Kurepa before leading 5-2 in the third set against West Virginia prior to Camblor winning the head-to-head.
The Cyclones were equally as successful on the No. 6 court. Freshman Valentina Vargas went to a third set against the Bearcats, where she dominated, ultimately winning 7-6, 4-6, 6-0. On Sunday, sophomore Suzanie Pretorius won 6-4, 6-1 in the first singles win of the day.
In order for Iowa State to mount a few upsets during the Big 12 Championships, continued victories on the lower courts will be pivotal.
Tiebreakers continue to hurt the Cyclones
This one may be a bit nitpicky, as the Cyclones went 2-2 in tiebreakers this weekend. But for Iowa State to take the next step, leaving points on the board due to an inability to finish matches must go.
The Cyclones lost the doubles point against Cincinnati because of a loss on the No. 1 court, one that the Cyclones lost 7-3 on the 13th point. Additionally, Iowa State went 1-1 on tiebreaker points in doubles matches against West Virginia.
On the bright side for ISU, many of the tiebreaker struggles that have persisted throughout the season may be attributed to the overall youth of the team, with several sophomores and freshmen getting pivotal playing time.
The tiebreakers didn’t come back to hurt the Cyclones this week, but for Iowa State to build on its momentum, it needs to turn tiebreaker sets into match victories.
Final notes
For the first time in nearly two months, the Cyclones ended a weekend victorious. Iowa State now has the opportunity to put together its largest win streak of the season, and performances like Camblor’s may result in several upsets in the Big 12 Championships in less than two weeks.
