Panther tennis takes care of business

The University of Northern Iowa tennis team improved to 7-3 on the season by winning two road matches over the weekend, topping Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Wisconsin-Green Bay. 

Friday Northern Iowa persevered to beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee 5-2 despite playing without injured number three singles player Laia Gonzalez-Garrido.  The Panthers benefited from the bottom of their lineup, who stepped up to fill the place of Gonzalez-Garrido.

The Panthers set the tone for the match by securing the doubles point by winning two of three doubles matches.  Sampada Kanade and Jessica Kunzelmann had a dominant performance winning 8-2. 

The duo of Phoebe Walker and Stefannia Sampaio followed with another decisive win cruising to an 8-1 victory. The only loss for the Panthers in the doubles portion of the match came by way of a tiebreaker when Talia Jang-Stewart and Katie Delagardelle lost 8-7 (7-3).

In singles action the Panthers received strong performances from their top three players, Walker, Kanade and Kunzelmann. All three of the top players for Northern Iowa won in straight sets surrendering only 11 games total to Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  The two losses the Panthers experienced in the match came in four and five singles. Kari Kastenholz defeated Sampaio 6-0, 6-1 and Brittany Skemp defeated Katy Delagardelle 6-1, 6-1. In number six singles Talia Jang-Stewart, who normally plays only the doubles portion of the match for the Panthers, filled in for the injured Gonzalez-Garrido. Jang-Stewart performed well in a comeback three-set win taking down Beth Ganser in a 3-6, 7-6, 6-0 victory.

Saturday the Panthers were back in action against the Green Bay Phoenixes winning a close 4-3 decision.  The Panthers rebounded to win after surrendering the point in the doubles match, receiving strong performances in the singles portion and cruising to straight set victories in each of their four wins.

The Panthers had solid play once again from number one singles player Phoebe Walker who defeated Emily Lawent 6-4, 6-1. Walker, a native of Kensington, Australia, improved her singles record in the spring 2010 season to 9-1. Last week, Walker was rewarded for her outstanding play in the 2010 spring season by being named Missouri Valley Conference Tennis Athlete of the Week. Walker has a 10-match winning streak for the Panthers and hasn't lost since Feb. 17.

Against Green Bay the Panthers also received strong performances from the number two and three players in the singles lineup. Kanade won 6-2, 7-6 and Kunzelmann rolled to a 6-2, 6-2 victory.  The final victory for the Panthers came in the number five singles match when Sampaio defeated Laura Bartingale 6-3, 6-4.

Northern Iowa looks to continue its four-game win streak next weekend as they travel to the west coast. The Panthers will take on Santa Clara, San Jose State and San Francisco in a three-match road trip.