Iowa Prepares For Northwestern, Wisconsin

Iowa Prepares For Northwestern, Wisconsin

April 13, 2010

THIS WEEK
The 21st ranked University of Iowa women’s tennis makes its final regular season road trip this weekend. The Hawkeyes travel to No. 9 Northwestern for a match Saturday, then head to Wisconsin Sunday. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Live stats for both matches can be found on www.hawkeyesports.com.

THE COMPETITION
Northwestern (14-6, 5-1) is the first stop for Iowa this weekend. The Wildcats are coached by Claire Pollard. The 11-year veteran has lead Northwestern to 11 consecutive Big Ten titles. The `Cats are ranked ninth by the ITA in the latest rankings, but have been ranked as high as first this season. Wisconsin (6-13, 1-5) is led by third year Head Coach Brian Fleishman. The Badgers defeated Michigan State, 7-0, for their first conference win.

YOUNG EARNS WINNING POINT
Junior Jessica Young stole the spotlight in Sunday’s match against Indiana. The Bloomfield Hills, MI, native cruised to a 6-1 first set victory, but stumbled in the second set, falling to Myriam Sopel, 5-7. Young bounced back and posted a 6-3 win in the final set of the match to claim the win for Iowa in the conference face-off.

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 fourth with Northwestern following at ninth. The Hawkeyes are next on the list at 21st, while Illinois moved to 26th. Ohio State checks in at 33rd and Purdue rounds out the top-50 at 48th. Minnesota is ranked 60th. All rankings are based on the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings posted April 13th.

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
As the end of the season nears, the University of Iowa is preparing to host the Big Ten Championships April 29-May 2. This is the third time Iowa has hosted the tournament. The Hawkeyes hosted the 1985 and 1994 championships. Matches will be played on the Klotz Outdoor Courts. Seedings will be announced following the final conference matches the weekend prior to the tournament. Information about the championships can be found on the women’s tennis site on www.hawkeyesports.com.

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 welcomes Purdue to Iowa City, April 24th, for the final regular season home match of the season before hosting the Big Ten Championships April 29-May 2.

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