SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The dream season continued for the No. 47 ranked Boise State women's tennis team Friday, as the Broncos (23-5) earned a huge 4-1 upset win over No. 21 Iowa (17-7) in the first-round of the 2010 NCAA Team Championships in South Bend, Ind.
Just two weeks after capturing the program's first ever WAC championship, Boise State recorded just the second NCAA Tournament win in team history by beating the Hawkeyes. The team will now face No. 6 Notre Dame on Saturday for the chance to become the first Boise State women's tennis team to advance to the round of 16.
Against Iowa, the Broncos won the doubles point and ran out to an early lead in singles. After dropping the first doubles match at No. 3, Boise State responded with an 8-5 win at No. 2 doubles as Stephanie Jasper and Marlena Pietzuch beat Alexis Dorr and Lynne Poggensee-Wei.
With the ever crucial doubles point on the line at No. 1, Pichittra Thongdach and Lauren Megale earned their biggest win of the season. The No. 45 ranked Boise State duo knocked off No. 14 Merel Beelen and Sonja Molnar, 9-8, to secure the doubles point and give the Broncos a 1-0 lead heading into singles competition.
In singles, the Broncos won the first set in five of six singles matches to put the Hawkeyes on the ropes. Megale managed to extend the Boise State lead to 2-0 with a 6-3, 7-6 win over Poggensee-Wei at No. 2 singles.
Just as Boise State appeared to be in control of the dual, however, Iowa responded. The Hawkeyes won the second set in four matches to put the pressure back on the Broncos. But just as it looked as though momentum had swung away from Boise State, the Broncos scored a big win to extend their lead to 3-0. Coming to the rescue for Boise State was senior Bianca Jochimsen, who beat Beelen, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, at No. 3 to put the Broncos within striking distance.
An Iowa win at No. 1 would narrow the gap to 3-1, but the effort was too little too late. Freshman Elyse Edwards put the finishing touches on a 6-2, 7-5 win over Kelcie Klockenga in the No. 5 singles match to give Boise State the 4-1 go-ahead, securing another historic win for the women at the NCAA Tournament.
The Broncos, who are playing in their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament (seventh all-time), will face the Irish at noon (EST) in the second-round on Saturday (May 15). Fans can visit www.und.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/10-w-tennis-ncaa.html to watch live scoring of Saturday's match.
#47 Boise State 4, #21 Iowa 1
Doubles: (Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1)
1. #45 Pichittra Thongdach/Lauren Megale (BSU) def. #14 Merel Beelen/Sonja Molnar (Iowa) 9-8
2. Stephanie Jasper/Marlena Pietzuch (BSU) def. Alexis Dorr/Lynne Poggensee-Wei (Iowa) 8-5
3. Kelcie Klockenga/Jessica Young (Iowa) def. Bianca Jochimsen/Elyse Edwards (BSU) 9-7
Singles: (Order of finish: 2, 3, 1, 5)
1. #67 Molnar (Iowa) def. #49 Thongdach (BSU) 6-3, 7-6
2. Megale (BSU) def. Poggensee-Wei (Iowa) 6-3, 7-6
3. Jochimsen (BSU) def. Beelen (Iowa) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
4. Jasper (BSU) vs. Young (Iowa) unfinished (6-2, 2-6, 6-5)
5. Edwards (BSU) def. Klockenga (Iowa) 6-2, 7-5
6. Pietzuch (BSU) vs. Dorr (Iowa) unfinished (6-1, 4-6, 4-3)