WTEN Preview \\ at Kansas State, Wichita State

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s tennis team will conclude its nonconference schedule with a pair of road duals this weekend in the Sunflower State. The Hawkeyes will take on Kansas State at 2 p.m. (CT) on Saturday in Prairie Village, Kansas, at the Homestead Country Club, before facing Wichita State on Monday at 11 a.m. at Genesis Rock Road.

FOLLOW LIVE
• Fans can follow the matches live via StatBroadcast and updates will be provided on the Iowa women’s tennis’ X account at @iowa_tennis.

THE OPPONENTS
• Kansas State has a 2-3 overall record with both victories coming in a doubleheader against Drake on Jan. 25. The all-time series is tied at 3-3.
• Wichita State is currently 4-4 overall, featuring a 6-1 win over Kansas State on Feb. 1. The Shockers will face Memphis and UT Arlington on Friday and Saturday prior to Monday’s home dual against Iowa. Wichita State leads the all-time series, 5-4.

LAST MATCH
The Hawkeyes secured their fifth victory of the spring season with a dominant 4-1 win over Ole Miss at the William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center. Iowa claimed the doubles point and earned three singles victories, two of which were in straight sets. Daianne Hayashida’s 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win clinched the Hawkeyes’ fourth point.

QUICK HITTERS
• Iowa’s 5-2 start to the season is the best for the program since the 2018-19 campaign when the team won its first seven duals.
• Iowa returns six letterwinners from a team that won 13 matches and finished tied for sixth in the Big Ten standings during the 2024 season.
• Senior Barbora Pokorna remains undefeated in singles this spring, with four of her six victories coming in straight sets. Pokorna has played at the Nos. 4-6 singles positions for the team.
• Freshman Sally Xu made her Hawkeye debut in Iowa’s 4-1 win over DePaul.
• Sasha Boros is in her ninth season as Iowa’s head coach. The Iowa alum has guided the Hawkeyes to 94 victories during her eight-year tenure. She has 271 wins as a head coach in stops at Stetson, Missouri and Iowa.

IN THE RANKINGS
The Hawkeyes have two players -- juniors Tereza Dejnozkova and Daianne Hayashida -- in the ITA rankings. Dejnozkova is ranked No. 76 in singles, while Hayashida is No. 113.

TESS = BIG TEN PRESEASON PLAYER TO WATCH
Junior Tereza Dejnozkova has been named a Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch for the 2025 season. The Czech Republic native has posted a 10-6 overall singles and 6-5 doubles record this season, which included a third-place finish at the ITA Central Regionals in October. It was the highest finish by a Hawkeye all-time.
• Dejnozkova transfered to Iowa from South Alabama, where she was a second-team All-Sun Belt selection as a sophomore. She won 32 singles and 23 doubles matches during her two seasons.
• The Czech Republic native has posted a 5-2 record this spring with the five wins being the second-most on the team. She made her Hawkeye debut at the No. 1 singles position in the win over DePaul on Feb. 9.

DAI’S STRONG FALL
Junior Daianne Hayashida had a team-best seven singles victories during the fall season, posting a 7-3 overall record. She also won four matches, teamming with Marisa Schmidt in doubles.
• Hayashida won the consolation singles title at the ITA Sectionals in Ann Arbor in November.
• The Peru native is 4-3 in dual action this spring, giving her a team-best 11 singles victories this season.
• Hayashida, who earned All-Big Ten recognition as a sophomore, has 43 career singles and 36 career doubles victories.

MARISA RETURNS
Senior Marisa Schmidt returns for her final season as a Hawkeye after posting a team-best 13-5 singles record during the 2024 season. She posted a 12-1 record at the No. 2 singles position a season ago.
• The Germany native has 42 career singles and 34 career doubles victories.