March 26, 2008
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IOWA CITY, IA
THIS WEEK — Iowa returns home after a week on the road to host two Big Ten matches against Michigan and Penn State. The No. 45 Hawkeyes will take on the Wolverines Saturday at 11 a.m. Iowa will wrap up the weekend on Sunday, hosting Penn State at 11 a.m. Both matches will be played at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex.
THE HAWKEYES — Iowa is currently ranked 45th in the FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings. Competing for the Hawkeyes this week will be Jennifer Barnes, Merel Beelen, Kayla Berry, Kelcie Klockenga, Jacqueline Lee, Mili Veselinovic, Jessica Young, Lynne Poggensee-Wei, and Alexis Dorr. Veselinovic leads the Hawkeyes with a 19-4 overall singles record. The duo of Lee/Dorr is currently Iowa’s most successful doubles team, with a 16-7 record.
THE COMPETITION — Michigan is currently ranked 29th. The Wolverines are 7-4, 1-1 in the Big Ten this season. The Wolverines are led by junior Chisako Sugiyama who is 7-3, 2-0 Big Ten in singles play at the number one position. Penn State is unranked with a 7-6, 1-1 Big Ten record for the season. The Nittany Lions travel to Iowa fresh off back to back wins against Temple and St. Johns.
LAST WEEK — The Hawkeyes return home after four matches on the road. Iowa started the week off traveling to Kansas State on Wednesday and posted a solid 6-1 victory over the Wildcats. Moving on to Kansas Thursday, the Hawkeyes kept their winning momentum up and defeated the Jayhawks in a close 4-3 win. Traveling to 25th-ranked Indiana on Saturday, Iowa put up a tough fight but fell in their second Big Ten match of the season 4-3. Packing up for their last road match of the week, Iowa traveled to Columbus, OH, to face the No. 31 Ohio State Buckeyes. The Hawkeyes were defeated 4-3, bringing their conference record to 1-2. Highlights of the week included Veselinovic improving her singles winning streak to 13-0 and breaking the Iowa school record for most career singles wins.
THIS SEASON — Iowa opened its 2008 spring season by dominating the Hawkeye Invitational against Drake, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa, ending the tournament with a 27-2 record. Lee was named co-Big Ten Athlete of the Week Jan. 20 after an outstanding performance at the Hawkeye Invitational. Iowa has since gone 10-3 in dual match play this season, and is 1-2 in conference play. Veselinovic is undefeated and has a 13-0 record in dual match singles play for the spring season.
HEAD COACH Daryl Greenan — Coach Daryl Greenan is in his fourth season as head coach of the Hawkeyes. Greenan led the Hawkeyes to a 12-10 overall record in 2007, going 7-3 in Big Ten competition for a fourth place league finish. Greenan was named 2006 Big Ten Coach of the Year. Greenan has a 44-26 overall record in three seasons at Iowa. Toni Neykova is the assistant coach and is in her sixth season with the Hawkeyes. She is a former member of the Hawkeye tennis team (1999-2002).
QUOTING COACH GREENAN — “I think the team is going to be ready for Michigan and Penn State. It will be nice to be competing at home again.”
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