April 10, 2006
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THIS WEEK — The University of Iowa men’s tennis team, (5-10, 0-6) will host Indiana Friday and Penn State Sunday. Matches are scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., respectively. Competition will be held at the West Campus Tennis and Recreational Center, weather permitting.
SCOUTING INDIANA — The 66th-ranked Hoosiers are 13-8 overall and 2-4 in the Big Ten. Dmytro Ishtuganov plays the No. 1 singles spot and is 11-9. In the No. 2 spot, David Bubenicek is 12-7. Ishtuganov teams with Dara McLoughlin to form the No. 1 doubles team. They are 11-9 on the season. Indiana is coached by Ken Hydinger.
SCOUTING PENN STATE — The 47th-ranked Nittany Lions come in to this weekend’s competition 13-3 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten. They were defeated by 4th-ranked Ohio State, 5-2, last weekend. Mark Barry leads Penn State in the No. 1 singles position. He is 11-2. In the No. 2 spot, Malcolm Scatliffe is 9-3. Penn State is coached by Bill Potoczny.
THE SERIES — Iowa is behind in the series against Indiana,16-41. The Hawkeyes lost, 6-1, last year in Bloomington. Iowa leads the series against Penn State 9-7. Last year, the Hawkeyes fell to Penn State, 7-0, on the road.
LAST TIME OUT — The Hawkeyes were defeated by Wisconsin (6-1) and 64th-ranked Northwestern (7-0) on the road. Iowa recorded one singles win for the weekend. Freshman Christian Bierich defeated Phippen from Wisconsin at the No. 3 spot. In doubles, senior Aaron Schaechterle teamed with Bierich to defeat Phippen and Bisnow from Wisconsin in No. 3 doubles. Iowa had no wins against Northwestern. Sophomore J.P. Ritchie continues to lead the Hawkeyes in singles wins with a 7-8 record.
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 275-280 (.495). 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 — “Penn State and Indiana are two very solid Big Ten teams. Our guys keep playing hard and improving. Hopefully, it will start to pay off.”