March 17, 2009
THIS WEEK — The No. 72 Iowa women’s tennis team (6-6, 1-0 Big Ten) will take its first Big Ten road trip of the season. The Hawkeyes will face Michigan State (7-8, 0-2 Big Ten) Saturday at 11 a.m. (CT) at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility in East Lansing, MI. Iowa will then face No. 19 Michigan (6-4, 1-0 Big Ten) Sunday at 10 a.m. (CT) at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor, MI. The Wolverines are led by No. 59 Chisako Sugiyama and No. 111 Rika Tatsuno in singles, and the No. 31 doubles team of Sugiyama and Tania Mahtani.
IN THE SERIES — Iowa holds a 23-13 edge in the series with Michigan State, while Michigan leads the series with Iowa, 26-11. Michigan State (4-3) and Michigan (6-1) both won the last meetings with Iowa in 2008.
MOLNAR EARNS NATIONAL RANKING — Hawkeye freshman Sonja Molnar has used her 10-2 singles record to earn a spot in the ITA NCAA Division I Women’s singles rankings. The Guelph, Ontario, native made her first appearance in the top 125 poll Feb. 19, earning a No. 98 ranking. She rose as high as 75th in the March 3 poll, and is currently ranked 92nd in the March 17 poll.
LAST COMPETITION — Iowa fell to No. 2 Notre Dame March 6, 7-0, in South Bend, IN. The Hawkeye duo of freshman Sonja Molnar and sophomore Jessica Young upset the No. 3 nationally ranked pair of Kelcy Tefft and Kali Krisik at the No. 1 doubles position 8-7 (7-4). Even with the win, Iowa dropped the doubles point after losses at the No. 2 and 3 positions. The Hawkeyes were defeated in each singles match, with Molnar, sophomore Alexis Dorr and sophomore Lynne Poggensee-Wei each facing nationally ranked opponents.
HEAD COACH Daryl Greenan — Coach Daryl Greenan is in his fifth season as head coach of the Hawkeyes. Greenan led the Hawkeyes to a 13-10 overall record in 2008, going 3-7 in Big Ten competition tying for a sixth place league finish. The 2006 Big Ten Coach of the Year, Greenan has a 62-42 overall record in five seasons at Iowa. He is 103-67 in eight seasons as a collegiate head coach. Mira Radu is the assistant coach and is in her first season with the Hawkeyes. She volunteered as an assistant coach at the University of Mississippi (2003-2006) following her membership on the tennis team (1999-2003).
UP NEXT — Iowa will host two Big Ten opponents at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes will face No. 35 Ohio State (8-6, 2-0 Big Ten) March 27 at 3 p.m., and Penn State (2-10, 0-2 Big Ten) March 29 at 11 a.m. Admission is free.