Hawkeyes Head to Big Ten Tournament

April 26, 2005

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This Week

The 50th-ranked University of Iowa women’s tennis team (13-8 overall, 7-3 Big Ten) travels to the Big Ten Tournament, held Thursday through Sunday at East Lansing, MI. The Hawkeyes’ first match will be Friday at 1 p.m. Competition will take place at the MSU Tennis Center.

Possible Iowa Match-Ups

The Hawkeyes will play the winner of the Purdue-Minnesota match. The Boilermakers come into the tournament as the sixth seed, while the Golden Gophers are No. 11. Last week, Purdue defeated Iowa, 5-2. The Boilermakers’ top player is 74th-ranked Hala Sufi. The Hawkeyes downed Minnesota, 5-2, in early March. The Golden Gophers’ top player is 94th-ranked Nischela Reddy.

Scouting The Big Ten

Northwestern is the team to beat, going 10-0 in league play and capturing the regular season title. The Wildcats are looking for their seventh-consecutive tournament title. Second-seeded Indiana is ranked 34th in the nation with its top doubles team ranked, as well as No. 2 singles player Sarah Batty. Close behind is Wisconsin at 38th and Michigan 40th.

Hawkeyes Against the Big Ten

Jacqueline Lee, Anastasia Zhukova and Milica Veselinovic all boast impressive Big Ten singles records. Lee and Zhukova have 7-3 records, both losing to Michigan, Northwestern and Purude. Veselinovic is 9-1 with her only Big Ten loss against Valerie Vladea of Northwestern.

In doubles, Zhukova and Hilary Tyler are 8-2 at the No. 2 spot, falling only to Northwestern and Purdue. Lee and Hillary Mintz have gone 5-1 in the Big Ten, losing only to Northwestern.

Hawks Finish School-Best Third in Big Ten

Iowa finished third in the Big Ten regular season, boasting a 7-3 record. This is the highest finish in Iowa women’s tennis history. Previously, the Hawkeyes’ best finish was fourth, accomplished in 1990, 2000 and 2002.

Last Weekend Notes

The Hawkeyes split a pair against Illinois and Purdue. Iowa defeated the Fighting Illini, 6-1, but then fell to the Boilermakers, 5-2.

Tyler and Zhukova Double Trouble

Iowa’s Hilary Tyler and Anastasia Zhukova are 15-2 in doubles. They have 14 wins at the No. 2 spot, including victories over Notre Dame, Baylor, TCU, Indiana and Wisconsin.

Veselinovic Ties Freshman Record

Milica Veselinovic tied Hillary Mintz’s school-best mark for most singles wins by a freshman with 28. Veselinovic will look to break the record this weekend at the Big Ten Tournament.

Topping 20 Wins

Hillary Mintz, Anastasia Zhukova and Milica Veselinovic have all recorded at least 20 wins this season. Mintz currently owns a 20-12 record, while Zhukova is 22-9 and Veselinovic is 28-6.