It was a back-and-forth match between No. 10-seeded IU and No. 7-seeded Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Sophomore Caitlin Bernard and freshman Pauline Jahren struck first with a 6-3 win in the No. 3 doubles spot. To secure the first point of the match, senior Kim Schmider and sophomore Madison Appel also won 6-3 in the No. 1 doubles spot.
IU failed to get the doubles point the first time they played Iowa earlier this season, which led to a 6-1 loss. Now, after getting the doubles point, the team had momentum entering singles play.
Sophomore Natalie Whalen was the first to finish at the No. 4 singles spot with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory to put the Hoosiers up 2-0. Iowa won the next two singles matches to tie the match at two.
After a 6-4, 7-5 win from Schmider, it was down to Appel or Bernard to clinch the match. Both were in the third set and Bernard was up 3-2 while Appel was tied 5-5. Appel won two in a row and clinched the 4-2 win for IU.
The Hoosiers will now play tomorrow against the No. 2 seeded Michigan Wolverines at 3 p.m. in Champaign, Illinois.
Dylan Wallace
