TheThe University of Minnesota women's tennis team competed in its final home match of the 2002 spring season against Big Ten opponent Iowa, today at the Northwest Athletic Club in Bloomington, Minn. The Gophers fell, 5-2, to the Hawkeyes gaining wins in doubles competition and at the No. 5 singles.

Minnesota won two of the three doubles match, earning one point. Michaela Havelkova and Valerie Vladea won 8-5 at the No. 1 doubles, while Kelly Perry and Andrea Rose won the No. 3 position, also 8-5.

Kandis Batiste earned the lone singles win for the Gophers. Batiste defeated Iowa's Pascale Veraverbeke in three sets. Batiste fell in the first set, 6-1, but came back to win the next two sets, 6-4, 6-3. It is the second Big Ten win that Batiste has gained this year. Vladea took her No. 1 singles to three sets, dropping the first, 6-3, won the second, 6-1 and fell 7-5 in the third. Vladea, ranked 90th in the polls, is now 7-3 in league play.

It was the final home match for seniors Andrea Rose and Jennifer Howard. It was also the final match on the off-campus site on 98th Street. The Gophers will play next season in the newly constructed tennis facility on campus.

Doubles No. 1 #58 Vladea/Havelkova def. Alexandrova/Neykova, 8-5 No. 2 Hoch/Veraverbeke def. Howard/Watts, 8-6 No. 3 Perry Rose def. Haas/Okino, 8-5 Singles No. 1 Toni Neykova def. Valerie Vladea, 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 No. 2 Steffi Hoch def. Michaela Havelkova, 6-0, 6-1 No. 3 Cassie Haas def. Andrea Rose, 7-6 (4), 6-2 No. 4 Denitza Alexandrova def. Kelly Perry, 6-4, 6-4 No. 5 Kandis Batiste def. Pascale Veraverbeke, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 No. 6 Jennifer Hodgman def.Brandi Watts, 5-7, 6-2, (10-8)