Jan. 30, 2006
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THIS WEEK — The Iowa men’s tennis team will travel to Kalamazoo, MI, Saturday to face the Western Michigan Broncos. Play will begin at 11 a.m. (EST) at the West Hills Athletic Club.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN — The Broncos are 3-1 thus far in their spring season. They came close to beating #48 Michigan, but were defeated 4-3. Playing in the No. 3 spot, Tim Bradshaw upset #62 Ryan Heller of Michigan. He was recently named MAC Tennis Player of the Week and is currently undefeated. The Broncos have four other athletes who are 3-1. Western Michigan is coached by Dave Morin.
THE SERIES — Last year, Iowa lost to Western Michigan, 5-1, in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes lead the overall series, 12-10.
LAST TIME OUT — The Hawkeyes defeated Northern Illinois, 6-1, in their first dual meet of the season held last week in Iowa City. Iowa swept the doubles competition and won five of six singles matches. Freshman Christian Bierich, with a 10-5 record, leads the Hawkeyes with overall wins for 2005-06. Sophomore Bart van Monsjou is playing the No. 1 spot for Iowa and has an overall record of 7-5.
HEAD COACH Steve Houghton — Steve Houghton, the dean of Big Ten tennis coaches, is in his 25th season as head coach of the Hawkeyes. Houghton has a career record of 270-270 (.500). His best season came in 1984 when Iowa won a school record 21 matches and two Hawkeyes earned all-Big Ten honors. Four of Houghton’s athletes have also been selected Big Ten Sportsman of the Year. He became the winningest coach in Iowa tennis history in 1992 and is a member of the Iowa Tennis Hall of Fame. While playing at Iowa, Houghton had a career winning percentage of .727 (40-15), the second best in Iowa History.
QUOTING COACH HOUGHTON — “Western Michigan is one of the top teams in our region. They will provide a strong challenge for us.”