In a historic victory, the Iowa State tennis team defeated No. 20 UCLA with a score of 4-1 in the NCAA Super Regionals on Friday, securing their first-ever spot in the NCAA quarterfinals in Orlando, Florida.
The Cyclones are now among the top eight teams in the country. This achievement comes in just their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament, all of which have been under the leadership of fifth-year coach Boomer Saia.
The Cyclones won the doubles point by taking two out of three doubles matches. In the singles matches, Thasaporn Naklo and Ange Oby Kajuru both secured points in straight sets, while Sofia Cabezas clinched the victory with a 6-2, 7-5 win.
“We started out very well in the doubles and did a great job carrying the momentum into the singles,” said Coach Saia. The Cyclones will face the winner of the match between Auburn and No. 3 seed NC State on Wednesday, with the exact time still to be determined.