Oct. 2, 2006
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THIS WEEK — The University of Iowa men’s tennis team will travel to Louisville, KY, to compete in the Louisville Invitational.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION — Matches will be held at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center on the University of Louisville Belknap Campus. The tournament will have a flighted format.
LAST TIME OUT — The Hawkeyes began their season at the Minnesota Invitational and the All-American Tournament. Juniors Bart van Monsjou and J.P. Ritchie and sophomore Christian Bierich competed in pre-qualifying for the All-American Tournament. Ritchie and van Monsjou were knocked out in the second round, while Bierich bowed out in the third. The rest of the squad competed at the Minnesota Invitational. Iowa struggled in singles competition against Big Ten opponents Minnesota and Wisconsin, posting a 1-10 record for the weekend. The Hawkeyes did much better in doubles, going 8-5 overall.
FRESHMEN IMPACT — Freshmen Patrick Dwyer, Walker Grimes, Reinoud Haal and Tommy McGeorge played their first matches, as Hawkeyes, last weekend at the Minnesota Invitational. They played high in the lineup and competed well. Dwyer, Haal and McGeorge compiled 2-3 singles records, while Grimes went 1-2.
HEAD COACH Steve Houghton — Steve Houghton, the dean of Big Ten tennis coaches, is in his 26th season as head coach of the Hawkeyes. Houghton has a career record of 277-286 (.492). 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 — “It will be nice to have our entire team together this weekend. We will be able to try out new doubles combinations against teams from other regions. I look for the young players to continue to make progress and improve.”