The entire roster of the Iowa tennis team competed this last week in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Regional Championships. The tournament was held Oct. 9-14 in Memphis, Tennessee, at the Leftwich Tennis Center.
The first day of competition had second-year Jessica Matthews and third-year Nikita Vishwase competing in the qualifying draw.
Matthews defeated South Dakota’s Sorcha Caves in the round of 64, 6-3, 6-4, to advance to the round of 32, where she fell to Wichita State’s Giorgia Roselli, 6-4, 6-0.
Vishwase played two intense three-set games to mark the first day of play. The junior defeated Arkansas State’s Sarah Millard in the opening round, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2. The Louisiana State transfer continued her momentum with a victory over Grace O’ Donnell of Arkansas, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
On the second day of the competition, Marisa Schmidt and Daianne Hayashida defeated Nebraska duo Tiziana Rossini and Maria Taranova, 8-4.
Vishwase and Pia Kranholdt defeated Missouri’s Catherine Chrobak and Amal Gati by the same 8-4 margin, but Tereza Dejnozkova and Barbora Pokorna fell to Wichita State’s Theodora Chantava and Giorgia Roselli, 8-6.
In singles play, Hayshida beat Arkansas State’s Carla Muro Castellvi in straight 6-0 sets, while Pokorna defeated Joanna Cardona of Missouri, 6-1, 6-1.
Dejnozkova beat Minnesota’s Aiva Schmitz, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, and Schmidt defeated Cara Mester of Oklahoma, 6-0, 6-2. Both Vishwase and Krandholdt fell to their opponents.
Day three of the tournament showed tenacious play from Iowa. The Schmidt and Hayashida duo defeated Daniela Rosenberger and Michelle Trochez out of Lindenwood, 8-0. But the combination of Vishwase and Krandholdt fell yet again, this time by an 8-3 score to Arkansas.
In the singles round of 32, Hayashida, Dejnozkova, and Schmidt impressed against their opponents to move to the round of 16, but Dejnozkova was the only Hawkeye to win her match, defeating Oklahoma’s Chloe Noel, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
Day four of play saw the duo of Schmidt and Hayashida in the quarterfinals after an 8-3 win against Central Arkansas. The Hawkeyes fell, 8-5, in the quarterfinals. Dejnozkova came out on top against Ange Oby Kajuru out of Oklahoma State due to a forfeit from injury.
After a day five loss in the semi-finals, Dejnozkova played a dominant match against Oklahoma’s Alina Shcherbinina, 6-2, 7-5, placing her in third place for the singles competition.
Up Next
The Hawkeyes will return to action on Nov. 19-24 for the NCAA Singles and Doubles competition in Waco, Texas.