March 29, 2004
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This Week: The Iowa men’s tennis team will travel to East Lansing, MI, Saturday for a dual with 45th-ranked Michigan State at the MSU Tennis Facility. The Hawkeyes will then head to Ann Arbor for a dual with 41st-ranked Michigan at the Varsity Tennis Complex Sunday. Both competitions are scheduled for 11 a.m. (CT).
The Spartans: Michigan State is 13-7 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten competition after losses at Penn State and Ohio State. The Spartans are led in singles competition by juniors Andrew Formanczyk, ranked 100th nationally, and Cameron Marshall and senior Chris Mitchell. Formanczyk and Marshall are also Michigan State’s top doubles team. The Spartans are coached by Gene Orlando.
Iowa-Michigan State Series: Iowa leads the series over Michigan State, 29-20. Last year the Spartans edged the Hawkeyes (4-3) in Iowa City. Iowa claimed the doubles point and won two singles contests.
The Wolverines: Michigan is 8-4 overall and 0-2 in league action after losses at Ohio State and Penn State. Junior Michael Rubin, ranked 49th nationally, senior Anthony Jackson and freshman Brian Hung lead the Wolverines in singles competition. Jackson and Hung are also Michigan’s top doubles team. The Wolverines are coached by Mark Mees.
Iowa-Michigan Series: The Wolverines lead the series, 38-6. Last year Iowa recorded a 4-3 victory over Michigan in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes lost the doubles point but rallied to win four singles contests.
Hawkeyes Fall to Purdue: Iowa dropped its third conference match of the season in a 6-1 loss to Purdue in its first home outdoor match of the season. Threatening weather forced singles competition to be played first with Iowa winning one match. The Hawkeyes were swept in doubles competition.
Delgado Claims Victory: Freshman Sebastian Delgado claimed Iowa’s lone victory against Purdue with a win against Troy Havens at No. 2 singles. Delgado is now tied with sophomore Aaron Schaechterle for a team-best four dual wins.
Young No. 1: Sophomore Chaitu Malempati has played the No. 1 singles position in all 12 of Iowa’s duals this season. At 19, he is the youngest Hawkeye to play in the top position since Tyler Cleveland competed at No. 1 as a 19-year-old freshman in 1998.
Head Coach: Steve Houghton, the dean of Big Ten tennis coaches, is in his 23rd season as head coach of the Hawkeyes. Houghton has a career record of 261-252 (.509). He became the winningest coach in Iowa tennis history in 1992 and is a member of the Iowa Tennis Hall of Fame. He has coached 15 players to 29 all-Big Ten selections including Tyler Cleveland, who became the first men’s player in Big Ten history to be named Big Ten Player of the Year twice. Four of Houghton’s athletes have also been selected Big Ten Sportsman of the Year.
Quoting Houghton: “We’ve been inconsistent lately. We need to get more consistent performances in both singles and doubles competition. We will face two very talented Big Ten teams in Michigan State and Michigan. It will be a very challenging weekend.”