DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central's women's tennis team stayed close to home in a doubleheader on Monday at Sheffield Tennis Center. The Eagles stumbled in a pair of 4-0 results to Iowa and No. 8 Duke.
NCCU (0-3) completed its third match in two days as the Blue Devils welcomed Iowa and NC Central.
Iowa (2-1) was up first for the Eagles as the Hawkeyes took the one-point lead into singles after winning all three doubles matches. Patricia Palencia would make things interesting in No. 4 Singles, clawing back to an even 4-4 score in the first set versus Pia Kranholdt. The set ended in a 6-4 victory for Kranholdt, while the match went unfinished with a 1-1 second set.
Sara Barbaric's No. 5 match also went unfinished 6-3, 2-2, as well as Gabriela Mejia Arenas in the No. 6 slot who was ahead 2-1 in her second set. The final clinching points from Iowa came in No. 1, 2 and 3 singles.
Duke (2-0) was the final contest for NC Central. Each Eagles doubles team won games in their respective sets, including four games for Barbaric and Valeria San Miguel Soria in the No. 2 position. The Blue Devils moved into singles action with the lead.
The No. 1, 2 and 4 singles slots featured nationally ranked individuals from Duke who were challenged by the Eagles. Alejandra Hidalgo Vega took on 22nd-ranked Irina Balus at the one, San Miguel Soria faced Liv Hovde (98th) at the two, and Palencia met up with 93rd-ranked Shavit Kimchi, which was the only one of the three matches to go unfinished. Duke won singles positions one through three.
In 11 days, NCCU hosts East Carolina at Cary Tennis Park on Jan. 30. First serve is set for noon against the Pirates.
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