October 14, 2006

CEDAR RAPIDS , IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) concluded the Individual Tournament portion of its women’s tennis Championship at Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday by crowning champions in six singles flights and determining the teams for next weekend’s Team Tournament.

In the closest Individual Tournament in Conference history, Luther and Central tied for the top spot with 67 points, one point ahead of third-place Cornell and seven points ahead of fourth-place Coe. Luther, with a regular season victory over Central, will be the top seed for the Team Tournament and will face Coe in the opening round. Central and Cornell will meet.

Standings
t-1st	Luther	67
t-1st	Central	67
3rd	Cornell	66
4th	Coe	60
5th	Loras	44
6th	Simpson	43
7th	Wartburg	31
8th	Buena Vista	11
9th	Dubuque	10

#1-singles: In the Championship match, Central’s Kristin Kovar, the #2-seed, defeated top-seeded Pavla Brachova of Cornell (6-3, 3-6, 11-9) to win her second career singles title (won #2 singles in 2004). Coe’s Andrea Schupbach, the #4-seed, defeated #6 Jen Phelan of Loras (6-1, 6-1) in the third-place match. In the semifinals, Brachova defeated Schupbach (4-6, 6-3, 10-7) and Kovar defeated Phelan (6-0, 6-0).

#2-singles: In the Championship match, Coe’s Hillary Allen, the #4-seed, defeated #2-seed Hillary Baehr of Central (6-1, 6-2). Luther’s Molly Beyer, the top-seed, defeated #3 Emily Loewen of Cornell (6-3, 3-6, 10-6) in the third-place match. In the semifinals, Allen defeated Beyer (7-5, 7-6(3)) and Baehr defeated Loewen (6-0, 7-6(3)).

#3-singles: In the Championship match, Coe’s Lindsey Driscoll, the #4-seed, defeated #2-seed Jess Horn of Cornell (6-2, 6-3). Luther’s Taylor Cochrane, the top-seed, defeated #6 Sara Bickford of Wartburg (6-1, 6-0) in the third-place match. In the semifinals, Driscoll defeated Cochrane (6-2, 6-2) and Horn defeated Bickford (6-3, 6-0).

#4-singles: In the Championship match, Cornell’s Jenna Morris, the #3-seed, defeated #4-seed Alisha Espey of Loras (7-5, 7-5). Luther’s Heidi Bothun, the top-seed, defeated #2 Whitney Visser of Central (6-2, 6-2) in the third-place match. In the semifinals, Espey defeated Bothun (4-6, 6-4, 10-3) and Morris defeated Visser (6-2, 7-6(1)).

#5-singles: In the Championship match, Luther’s Amy Christenson, the top-seed, defeated #2-seed Faith Bliss of Central (5-7, 6-1, 10-3). Cornell’s Caryl Abeyta, the #3-seed, defeated #5 Katie Yakes of Coe (6-1, 7-6(7-2)) in the third-place match. In the semifinals, Christenson defeated Yakes (4-6, 7-6(6), 10-6) and Bliss defeated Abeyta (3-6, 6-2, 13-11).

#6-singles: In the Championship match, Luther’s Justine Allen, the top-seed, defeated #3-ssed Becky Birkhofer of Cornell (6-1, 6-2). Central’s Jennifer Knobbe, the #2-seed, defeated #5-seed Megan Fiala of Coe (7-5, 7-5) in the third-place match. In the semifinals, Allen defeated Fiala (6-2, 7-5, 11-9) and Birkhofer defeated Knobbe (6-0, 3-6, 10-8).

The semifinalists in flights one, two and three, and the finalists in flights four, five and six are deemed All-Conference singles players. Half of the 18 All-Conference singles players have previously earned similar honors. Kovar is a four-time All-Conference performer, Beyer, Loewen and Horn are three-time All-Conference performers, and Brachova, Baehr, Cochrane, Driscoll and Morris are two-time honorees.

The doubles portion of the Individual Tournament was played on Friday with Cornell’s Brachova/Loewen winning the #1 doubles title, Luther’s Bothun/Beyer winning the #2 title and Luther’s Christenson/Kelsie Allen winning the #3 title.

The Conference Most Valuable Player and Coach of the Year will be voted on by Conference coaches following the Team Tournament.

The IIAC women’s tennis Championship concludes next Saturday (October 21) with the Team Tournament. Matches will begin at 10:00 a.m. with #2 Central and #3 Cornell playing at Veterans Park and #1 Luther and #4 Coe at Coe. The winners will meet for the Conference Championship and the losers for third-place. Coe’s matches will remain at Coe.

Complete Individual Tournament results are here.

 

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