SEATTLE, WA. – Now past the halfway point of the 2023 ITA Division I Women’s National Team Indoor Championship, play has continued to heat up across the Nordstrom Tennis Center as well as the Seattle Tennis Club as the four Semifinalists have been determined.
After an opening round of play which saw half of the seeded teams fall, Saturday’s Quarterfinal action featured some more drama as Iowa State took down top-seeded Texas and will join North Carolina (2), Texas A&M (3), and Georgia in the Semifinals.
In the opening Quarterfinal match of the day, two unseeded teams battled it out for their spot in the Semifinals as neither Georgia or Oklahoma wanted to end their run in the main draw of the tournament.
For the first time all season, Oklahoma was taken down in doubles as the Bulldogs secured dominant wins from courts one and three to secure the early lead going into singles play.
Ahead, but not comfortable, Georgia had to earn their remaining three points in singles play, winning on court two in straight sets before relying on three-set victories on courts one, three, and four to secure the 5-2 victory over the Sooners.
The next Quarterfinal match pinned Texas A&M (3) up against Ohio State (6) for what was an absolute showing of dominance for the Aggies.
Winning the doubles points from victories on courts one and two, Texas A&M looked to be firing on all cylinders in singles, winning 6-2, 6-4 on court one, 6-1, 6-0 on court two, and 6-2, 6-0 on court four to earn their spot in the Semifinals.
Handing the Buckeyes their first loss of the season, the Aggies continue to show that they are a serious contender this season regardless of if they are playing indoors or outdoors.
The marquee match of the day came in the afternoon match when unseeded Iowa State took on top-seeded and No. 1 ranked Texas.
After winning their first-ever ITA National Team Indoor Championship match yesterday over Vanderbilt, Iowa State continued its Cinderella run today earning the programs biggest win in program history by taking down the No. 1 ranked Longhorns.
Not just winning, but doing so decisively, the Cyclones earned the doubles point with 6-2 wins on courts one and two before taking on three straight set singles wins from courts two, four, and five to take down the two-time defending NCAA Champions.
The final match of the day pitted North Carolina (2) vs Michigan at the Seattle Tennis Club. North Carolina came out quickly with 6-2 and 6-1 wins on courts 2 and 3, respectively. Fiona Crawley would put the Tar Heels up 2-0 on court 1, just before Julia Fliegner (Michigan) would take her win on court 3. Yarlagadda (UNC) would take a straight sets victory on court 6 to put UNC only one point away from reaching the Semis. The clinch would come from court 5 as Tran (UNC) battled back from 1 set down to take the remaining sets 6-1, 6-2.
Tomorrow’s Semifinals will both be played at the Nordstrom Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Washington. Iowa State and Georgia will play at 12 pm (PT), while North Carolina (2) and Texas A&M (3) will play at 3:30 pm (PT), or once the previous match concludes.
Be sure to keep up with all of the action through social media as well as the Cracked Racquet YouTube Page.
Scroll below for a complete recap of today’s opening round of play:
Quarterfinals
- Georgia Def. Oklahoma 5-2 | Box Score
- (3) Texas A&M Def. (6) Ohio State 4-0 | Box Score
- Iowa State Def. (1) Texas 4-1 | Box Score
- (2) North Carolina Def. Michigan 4-1 | Box Score
Consolations
- Auburn Def. San Diego 4-3 | Box Score
- (4) Duke Def. (5) Stanford 4-3 | Box Score
- Pepperdine Def. (7) Virginia 4-1 | Box Score
- Washington Def. (8) Vanderbilt 4-3 | Box Score
