April 23, 2005
Senior Cynthya Goulet won her career-best 27th match of the year to move into a ninth-place tie on the Orange and Blue single-season wins list, but her victory was the only one the Illini could manage in a 6-1 Saturday afternoon defeat at the hands of Iowa inside the Atkins Tennis Center.
Goulet needed three sets to defeat Iowa's Meg Racette--the seventh time she has gone to three sets this season--but won the third set, 6-3.
"That's been the story with Cynthya the whole year. She finds a way," Illini Head Coach Sujay Lama said. "She wasn't playing her A-game; her opponent was playing a great match. I'm just proud of her. It's great to see a kid kind of get it, because she wasn't like that two years ago."
The loss on the Illinois' familiar court was the team's first 6-1 defeat there in two years; Notre Dame dealt Illinois a 6-1 blow at Atkins April 2, 2003. Back-to-back Big Ten champion Northwestern is the only team to shut out the Orange and Blue in that span. Both times the Wildcats blanked the Illini in Evanston.
Throughout this season, the doubles matches paced the competition--today was no different, Lama said.
"We came out very flat today, quite honestly. We talk about coming with energy. There was no energy. We got into a hole--down after the doubles point; then you've got to win four out of six singles matches. Iowa played well."
Orange and Blue singles players lost five out of six opening sets but forced three-frame matches on four out of six courts.
"We put some fight, toward the middle of the match, in singles. It was just too late. I just felt like we were playing not to lose instead of to win. We were the underdogs in the match. We should have been the ones going after it," the Illinois mentor said.
Although still a young team comprised of five freshmen, the head coach expected more of his team, given the amount of matches played.
"It's just disappointing that we didn't compete the way we are capable of competing. Especially, it's at home, and it's the second-to-last match of the season. I just thought we would have competed with a lot more fire and energy."
With Big Ten Tournament play less than a week away, Lama hopes younger players continue to learn from the elder Goulet.
"She's just a good leader for the team. It's not about playing great, it's about competing. It's about finding a way and never giving up."
Illinois is the fourth victim in five matches for the 49th-ranked Hawkeyes.
"They competed well at all positions," Lama said. "We didn't have any room to breathe in singles or doubles. There was a lot at stake. They were a little bit tougher mentally, and they had a little bit more desire than us. That's what it came down to because every position, we had an opportunity."
Sunday the Orange and Blue conclude the regular season in a Senior Day contest with last-place Minnesota, as seniors Leila Cehajic and Goulet look to go out on a positive note.
"I told the players, `If we want to finish up their last home matches the right way with a victory, they need to come ready and prepared to battle,' Lama said. "I kind of challenged them, I said, `Do we want to finish up Cynthya and Leila's career at Atkins on a high or a low?'"
SATURDAY'S RESULTS:
#49 Iowa 6 at #50 Illinois 1
DOUBLES:
1 #54 Cynthya Goulet Emily Wang (ILL) def. Meg Racette/Milica Veselinovic (IOWA) 8-6
2 Hilary Tyler/Anastasia Zhukova (IOWA) def. Macall Harkins/Brianna Knue (ILL) 8-2
3 Hilary Mintz/Jacqueline Lee (IOWA) def. Momei Qu/Pavlina Akritas (ILL) 8-5
SINGLES: 1 #34 Cynthya Goulet (ILL) def. Meg Racette (IOWA) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 2 Hilary Mintz (IOWA) def. Macall Harkins (ILL) 6-3, 6-3 3 Anastasia Zhukova (IOWA) def. Momei Qu (ILL) 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 4 Milica Veselinovic (IOWA) def. Brianna Knue (ILL) 6-1, 5-7, 6-0 5 Jacqueline Lee (IOWA) def. Emily Wang (ILL) 6-3, 6-0 6 Hilary Tyler (IOWA) def. Alejandra Cuadra (ILL) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
