Jan. 20, 2004
This Week: The Iowa women’s tennis team will open the spring season hosting the Hawkeye Invitational Friday through Sunday. Teams competing are Iowa State, Northern Illinois and Northern Iowa. Competition will take place at the UI Recreation Building.
Schedule: Friday: Iowa vs. Iowa State, 3 p.m. Saturday: Northern Illinois vs. Iowa State, 10 a.m. Saturday: Iowa vs. Northern Iowa, 2 p.m. Sunday: Iowa vs. Northern Illinois, 10 a.m.
The Hawkeyes: The Hawkeyes return four letterwinners – Deni Alexandrova, Chelsea Glynn, Jennifer Hodgman and Gloria Okino. Additionally, Iowa has four newcomers, including Hilde Jansma, Hillary Mintz, Meg Racette and Hilary Tyler. During the fall season, Racette compiled a 6-1 (.857) singles record to lead the team. Mintz also performed strongly in the fall, finishing with a 9-3 (.750) singles record.
Iowa State Cyclones: The Cyclones are opening their spring season at the Hawkeye Invitational. Iowa State boasts four returnees and two newcomers. Senior Sabrina Evers will be leading the team along with sophomore Evangelina Soriano.
Northern Illinois Huskies: The Huskies are 1-1 going into the invitational. They defeated Western Illinois, 4-0, but lost to Marquette, 4-3. Northern Illinois will look to juniors Ivonne Andrade and Cassie Drake.
Northern Iowa Panthers: The Panthers are beginning their spring season at the invitational. Northern Iowa returns four letterwinners and adds three newcomers to the roster. One of the Panthers’ top players is junior Jaime Noyce.
In the Rankings: The Hawkeyes are ranked 64th in the ITA Rankings. The rankings are voted on by every member of an ITA Regional Committee.
Quoting Coach Wardlaw: “The Hawkeye Invitational is a perfect way to begin the season. The dual match format allows us to play as a team, yet insure each player ample playing opportunities. I’m looking forward to seeing us in action as I have high expectations for this team and the season.”