Women's Tennis News Releases
Rams compete next at IIAC Individual Championships
Coming up - Friday-Saturday, Oct. 16-17, at Iowa Conference Individual Championships, Veterans Memorial Tennis Complex, Cedar Rapids, 9 a.m.
Ram rewind - For the second consecutive year, Cornell placed fourth at the Iowa Conference Women's Tennis Team Championships, held Friday and Saturday at the University of Iowa's Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center in Iowa City.
The fifth-seeded Rams (7-10 overall, 2-4 IIAC) pulled out a 5-4 opening-round victory Friday over fourth-seeded Central. On Saturday, Cornell fell 5-0 to top-seeded Coe in the semifinals and then dropped a 5-2 decision to third-seeded Wartburg in the third-place match.
Cornell opened the week with a 9-0 victory over league foe Simpson Oct. 6 in Mount Vernon. It was the Rams' second shutout of the fall.
Cornell avenged an early-season loss against Central in a tightly-contested dual to start the tournament. With the match tied at 4-4, freshman Alyssa Zavislak (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard South) propelled the Rams to victory with a 7-6, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles. The Rams also received singles wins from Caryl Abeyta (Eaton, Colo./Eaton) at No. 2 and Kirsten Lasley (St. Paul, Minn./Saddlebrook) at No. 3. Cornell won two of the three doubles contests with Abeyta and Lasley prevailing 8-6 at No. 1 and Samantha De Gannes (Diego Martin, Trinidad/International School Port of Spain) and Amanda Johnson (North Branch, Minn./North Branch Area) eking out a 9-8 win at No. 3.
The Rams' No. 1 doubles tandem of Abeyta and Lasley outlasted Wartburg, 9-8, in the third-place dual. Freshman Kara Middleton (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) was Cornell's lone singles winner against the Knights, rallying for a three-set win at No. 5.
Luther unseated three-time defending champion Coe with a 5-1 victory in the finals. It was Luther's 24th IIAC women's tennis title and first since 2005.
Wins list - With an impressive 5-1 week, Abeyta climbed into a tie for seventh place on Cornell's career list with 111 wins. She moved past Jenna Morris (109 wins) and pulled even with Stacey Barth (111). Next on the list is Jennifer Henson with 116 wins.
Individual tourney - Cornell concludes the fall season at the IIAC Individual Championships this weekend in Cedar Rapids. Abeyta is the lone returning all-conference performer for the Rams. She teamed with Pavla Brachova for a third-place finish in Flight A doubles in 2007.
Iowa Conference Women's Tennis Team Championships
Oct. 9-10, Iowa City
Third-place match
Wartburg 5, Cornell 2 (Oct. 10, at Iowa City)
Singles - Molly Eslick (War) def. Samantha De Gannes 6-0, 6-1; Leanna Nelson (War) vs. Caryl Abeyta unfinished, Emily Heying (War) vs. Kirsten Lasley unfinished; Jenny Dallenbach (War) def. Alyssa Zavislak 6-1, 6-4; Kara Middleton (Cor) def. Lindsay Greiner 5-7, 6-0, 1-0 (10-6); Leanna Jenkins (War) def. Devin Harmon 6-4, 6-4; Doubles - Abeyta/Lasley (Cor) def. Eslick/Nelson 9-8 (7-2); Heying/Greiner (War) def. Middleton/Zavislak 8-1, Jenkins/Dallenbach def. De Gannes/Amanda Johnson 8-3.
Semifinal match
Coe 5, Cornell 0 (Oct. 10, at Iowa City)
Singles - Hannah Jensen (Coe) De Gannes 6-1, 6-0; Andrea Schupbach (Coe) vs. Abeyta 6-0, 2-2, unfinished; Hillary Allen (Coe) vs. Lasley unfinished; Michelle Schupbach (Coe) vs. Zavislak unfinished; Katy Delagardelle (Coe) vs. Middleton 6-3, 4-1, unfinished; Sara Ohlman (Coe) def. Harmon 7-5, 6-1; Doubles - Schubach/Schubach (Coe) def. Abeyta/Lasley 8-4; Allen/Delgardelle (Coe) def. Middleton/Zavislak 8-1; Jensen/Megan Fiala (Coe) def. De Gannes/Johnson 8-1.
First-round match
Cornell 5, Central 4 (Oct. 9, at Iowa City)
Singles - Sara Dale (Cen) def. De Gannes 7-5, 6-4; Abeyta (Cor) def. Faith Bliss 6-4, 7-6 (7-2); Lasley (Cor) def. Emily Swartz 6-3, 7-6 (13-11); Zavislak (Cor) def. Stephanie Gibbons 7-6, (7-1), 6-3; Kayla Donner (Cen) def. Middleton 6-0, 6-3; Jaime Ruisch (Cen) def. Harmon 6-3, 6-3; Doubles - Abeyta/Lasley (Cor) def. Bliss/Donner 8-6; Dale/Gibbons (Cen) def. Middleton/Zavislak 9-8 (8-6); De Gannes/Johnson (Cor) def. Trinh Le/Swartz 9-8 (7-3).
Cornell 9, Simpson 0 (Oct. 6, at Mount Vernon)
Singles - De Gannes (Cor) def. Jill Derner 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 11-9; Abeyta (Cor) def. Tiffany Bost 6-0, 6-0; Lasley (Cor) def. Mikayla Struebing 6-2, 6-2; Zavislak (Cor) def. Allison Anderson 6-0, 6-2; Middleton (Cor) def. Lynae Gruber 6-3, 6-2; Harmon (Cor) def. Lindsay Nash 4-6 (7-4) 10-6; Doubles - Abeyta/Lasley (Cor) def. Berner/Bost 8-2, Zavislak/Middleton (Cor) def. Struebing/Gruber 8-2; De Gannes/Harmon (Cor) def. Anderson/Nash 8-5.
