Feb. 2, 2009
THIS WEEK — The 59th-ranked University of Iowa men’s tennis team will travel to Indiana State Friday. The match is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. (CST). Head Coach Steve Houghton will be going for his 300th career victory at Iowa. Iowa will return home Sunday to face Denver. The Hawkeyes and Pioneers will face off at noon at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex. Admission is free.
HEAD COACH Steve Houghton — Steve Houghton, the dean of Big Ten tennis coaches, is in his 28th season as head coach of the Hawkeyes. Houghton has a career record of 299-309 (.492) since taking over the program in 1982. His best season came in 1984 when Iowa won a school record 21 matches and finished fourth in the Big Ten Conference. His best season came in 1984 when Iowa won a school record 21 matches and two Hawkeyes earned all-Big Ten honors. In 1989, Houghton was named NCAA Region IV Coach of the Year and picked up his 100th career dual win. 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.
SCOUTING INDIANA STATE — Indiana State will be competing in its first dual match of the season Friday. The Sycamores are coached by Malik Tabet.
SCOUTING DENVER — Denver, ranked 46th nationally, is 2-2 entering the weekend. The Pioneers are led by Head Coach Danny Westerman. He is in his third season at the helm of the program.
THE SERIES — Iowa is 14-1 all-time against Indiana State and 1-1-1 all-time against Denver. Denver defeated Iowa last season, 5-2.
LAST TIME OUT — The Hawkeyes opened the spring season with a victory over Northern Illinois Saturday, 6-1. Iowa claimed the doubles point, sweeping all three matches. Five Hawkeyes kept the momentum going and claimed singles matches. Sophomore Nikita Zotov and freshman Will Vasos, both competing in their first dual match, each claimed singles and doubles victories.
IN THE RANKINGS — Iowa is ranked No. 59 in the latest ITA team rankings and senior Christian Bierich is ranked No. 119 in the singles rankings. They are released every Wednesday and can be found at collegetennisonline.com.