March 26, 2007
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THIS WEEK — The University of Iowa men’s tennis team (7-5, 0-2) will continue Big Ten competition by hosting Penn State Friday and Michigan Sunday. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. and 10 a.m., respectively, at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center.
SCOUTING PENN STATE — Penn State (12-2, 2-1) is 41st in the latest rankings from College Tennis Online. The Nittany Lions recently posted wins over Northwestern and Michigan. The team is lead by Michael James with a record of 11-2 in singles competition.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN — No. 28 Michigan (12-4, 3-1) recently recorded wins over Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan State. Brian Hung (10-6) is ranked 61st and Matko Maravic (12-6) is ranked 51st. The two players have shared the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions in dual competition. They also team to play in the No.1 doubles spot.
THE SERIES — Iowa leads the series with Penn State, 10-8, and trails Michigan, 41-5.
LAST TIME OUT — The Hawkeyes opened their Big Ten season on the road last weekend against two ranked opponents. Iowa was defeated by second-ranked Ohio State, 7-0, and by No. 68 Indiana, 6-1. Freshman Tommy McGeorge, playing in the No. 5 position against Indiana, posted Iowa’s lone win in singles competition. The team of sophomore Greg Holm and freshman Walker Grimes recorded a win at No. 2 doubles against Indiana.
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 284-291 (.494). 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.
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