April 6, 2010
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- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch (2009-10 season)
THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s tennis team hosts Illinois and Indiana this weekend. The Hawkeyes face the Fighting Illini Saturday and the Hoosiers Sunday. The matches are both set to start at 11 a.m. Matches will be held on the Klotz outdoor courts, weather permitting. Live stats can be found on www.hawkeyesports.com.
THE COMPETITION
Illinois, ranked 36th by the ITA, is 9-7 overall and 3-1 in conference play. The Illini are tied with Iowa for third place in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series, 23-21. Indiana sits in sixth place in the Big Ten with a 2-2 conference record. The Hoosiers, 12-5 overall, lead the all-time series 28-7.
BIG TEN RUN CONTINUES
After dropping their first two Big Ten contests, the Hawkeyes have ran of three straight conference victories to move into a tie for third place in the Big Ten standings. The Hawkeyes edged out Michigan State, 4-3, at home to notch their first conference win before sweeping a weekend road series at Penn State (6-1) and No. 25 Ohio State (6-1).
GIMME FIVE
Twice this season the Hawkeyes have ran off five consecutive victories. After dropping the season opener to No. 6 Notre Dame, Iowa put together five straight wins to improve to 5-1. The Hawkeyes then fell at Minnesota before stringing together another five consecutive victories to improve to 10-2. Iowa then fell to No. 8 Michigan before its current streak of three straight wins, all in conference play. A weekend sweep over Illinois and Indiana will give the Hawkeyes their third five-match winning streak of 2010.
BIG TEN IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Big Ten Conference is full of high quality competition. Seven of the teams in the conference are currently nationally ranked, with six of those claiming spots in the top 50 in the country.
Michigan leads the pack at third with Northwestern following closely behind at fifth. The Hawkeyes are just outside the top 20, checking in at No. 22 while the Buckeyes sit in the 25th position. Illinois and Purdue round out the top 50 in the 36th and 47th positions, respectively, while Minnesota sits at 60th. The rankings are based on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association publication released April 6.
IOWA TENNIS BLOG
Iowa tennis fans will be able to follow members of the Hawkeye tennis team as they blog about the 2010 season. The Iowa student-athletes will discuss the Hawkeyes’ upcoming matches, road trips and what it’s like being a student-athlete at the University of Iowa.
UP NEXT
Iowa travels to its final road matches of the season next weekend. The Hawkeyes face No. 5 Northwestern Saturday, April 17th, and Wisconsin Sunday, April 18th. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.