March 30, 2009
IOWA CITY —
THIS WEEK — The Iowa women’s tennis team (7-9, 2-3 Big Ten) will take another Big Ten road trip, traveling to Bloomington, IN, to face No. 37 Indiana (10-7, 2-2) April 4 at 11 a.m. at the IU Tennis Center. The Hawkeyes will then face No. 33 Illinois (12-4, 3-1) April 5 at 12 p.m. at the Atkins Tennis Center in Champaign, IL.
IN THE SERIES — Iowa holds a 7-27 record in the series with Indiana and a close 24-20 record in the series with Illinois. Indiana won the last meeting with Iowa in 2008 (4-3) while Illinois defeated Iowa in their last match-up (6-1).
MOLNAR EARNS NATIONAL RANKING — Hawkeye freshman Sonja Molnar has used her 13-3 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 went 0-2 last weekend, falling to Big Ten opponents Ohio State and Penn State. The Hawkeyes fell to No. 41 Ohio State 6-1 in Iowa City Friday, with Lynne Poggensee-Wei nabbing the only Iowa win for the day at the No. 3 spot (6-4, 6-3). On Sunday, Penn State defeated Iowa 4-3 in a close conference clash. Jessica Young and Sonja Molnar earned a win at the No. 1 doubles position, 8-2. Molnar also took the first win in singles, going 6-0, 6-2 at the No. 1 spot. Young also saw victory in singles, winning at the No. 5 position 6-3, 6-3. Kelcie Klockenga won at the No. 4 spot, after a long three-set match, 5-7, 6-3, 6-0.
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 63-45 overall record in five seasons at Iowa. He is 104-70 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 Wisconsin (5-12, 0-5) April 11 at 11 a.m., and No. 1 Northwestern (15-1, 5-0) April 12 at 11 a.m. Admission is free for all events.