Hawkeyes Host Big Ten Rivals

April 14, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

THIS WEEK — The 53rd-ranked University of Iowa men’s tennis team (11-8 overall, 3-5 Big Ten) will host its final dual matches of the season this weekend. Iowa will host Purdue Saturday, at 11 a.m. and Illinois Sunday, at noon. Live scoring will be available at http://live.iowatennis.com/xlive.htm.

SCOUTING PURDUE — Purdue is 8-12 overall and 2-6 in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers are led by Head Coach Tim Madden, in his 14th season.

SCOUTING ILLINOIS — Illinois, ranked 16th nationally, is 14-7 overall and 6-2 in Big Ten play. They have defeated 12 nationally ranked teams this season and are paced by three ranked singles players (#12 Ryan Rowe, #90 Ruben Gonzales and #94 Billy Heiser). The Fighting Illini were the 2007 NCAA runners-up. They are led by third-year head coach Brad Dancer.

THE SERIES — Iowa is 21-51 all-time against Illinois. The Hawkeyes fell at Illinois last season, 6-1. Iowa leads the all-time series against Purdue, 33-27. The Hawkeyes defeated the Boilermakers last year in West Lafayette, 5-2.

LAST TIME OUT — Iowa traveled to 32nd-ranked Wisconsin and Northwestern over the weekend. Saturday, Hawkeyes lost at Wisconsin, 6-1. Iowa rebounded Sunday, dominating Northwestern, 6-1.

IN THE RANKINGS — Iowa is ranked No. 53. In men’s singles rankings, senior Bart van Monsjou is No. 69 and in men’s doubles rankings the duo of seniors J.P. Ritchie and van Monsjou is ranked No. 40. Rankings are produced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). They are released every Wednesday and can be found at collegetennisonline.com.

BIG TEN TOURNAMENT — The University of Iowa will be hosting this year’s Big Ten Tournament, April 24-27. The tournament will be held at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex (indoor) and the Klotz Outdoor Courts.

HEAD COACH Steve Houghton — Steve Houghton, the dean of Big Ten tennis coaches, is in his 27th season as head coach of the Hawkeyes. Houghton has a career record of 295-306 (.491). 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), second best in Iowa history.

Click HERE for the Big Ten Network home page.