May 9, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
This Week
The 46th-ranked University of Iowa women’s tennis team (14-9 overall, 8-4 Big Ten) travels to Evanston, IL, for the first rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes will play Notre Dame in the first round Friday at 10 a.m. Competition will take place at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center on the Northwestern campus. If the Hawkeyes win, they will play the winner of the Northwestern-Valparaiso match Saturday at noon.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Fighting Irish are ranked 23rd in the nation with a 14-9 record. Notre Dame is led by 44th-ranked Catrina Thompson who holds a 16-7 record at the No. 1 singles spot. Brook Buck is 87th, playing at the No. 2 position. In doubles, Catrina and Christian Thompson are sixth with a 19-4 mark.
Notre Dame leads the series with Iowa, 10-1. The Hawkeyes defeated Notre Dame in 1999 to advance to the NCAA “Sweet Sixteen”, but fell to them last year in the first round of the tournament.
Last Time Against Notre Dame
The Hawkeyes fell to Notre Dame, 7-0, at South Bend on February 27. Iowa’s lone win was at the No. 2 spot, as Anastasia Zhukova and Hilary Tyler defeated Brook Buck and Lauren Connelly, 9-7.
Scouting the Second Round
Northwestern is the fifth-seed in the 64-team tournament. The Wildcats hold a 24-2 record, having only lost to Georgia and California. Audra Cohen leads the team, ranked fourth in the nation. Cristelle Grier is ranked 21st and Alexis Prousis is 76th. In doubles, Grier and Cohen make up the second-ranked doubles duo, while Kristi Roemer and Prousis are 52nd. The Wildcats lead the Iowa series, 30-2.
Valparaiso has recorded a 15-4 overall record and a 10-0 mark in the Mid-Continent. The Crusaders are led by Rachel Janssen, who holds a 12-10 mark at the No. 1 singles spot. If Iowa and Valparaiso both advance to the second round, it would be the first meeting between the two teams.
Hawks Finish Fourth in Big Ten
Iowa finished third in the Big Ten regular season. The Hawkeyes placed fourth in the BIg Ten tournament. Iowa defeated Purdue, 4-0, in the quarterfinals, but lost to Michigan, 4-3, in the semifinals.
In the Rankings
The Hawkeyes are ranked 46th in the latest ITA poll. Meg Racette is 104th in singles.
Tyler and Zhukova Double Trouble
Iowa’s Hilary Tyler and Anastasia Zhukova are 16-2 in doubles. They have 15 wins at the No. 2 spot, including victories over Notre Dame, Baylor, TCU, Indiana and Wisconsin.
Veselinovic Breaks Freshman Record
Milica Veselinovic broke the school record for most singles wins by a freshman with 29. Veselinovic will look to add a few more wins to her record this weekend.