May 4, 2010
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch (2009-10 season)
2010 Interactive NCAA Championships Bracket | Complete Release in PDF Format
IOWA CITY, IA – The 21st-ranked University of Iowa women’s tennis team will travel to South Bend, IN for first-round action in the 2010 NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships after receiving an at-large bid, the NCAA announced Tuesday afternoon.
The Hawkeyes (17-6) will face Boise State (22-5) Friday, May 14 at 9 a.m. (CT) at the Courtney Tennis Center on the campus of Notre Dame. On the other side of the bracket, No. 5 Notre Dame meets IP Fort Wayne in the opening round. The winners of Friday’s matches will compete Saturday for a chance to advance to the NCAA round of 16, which will be held in Athens, GA on the campus of the University of Georgia.
“This is the best possible way for us to cap a great season,” said first-year Head Coach Katie Dougherty after watching the selection show with her team. “We’re excited about getting into the tournament and having the opportunity to play Boise State, which is a great WAC team, and hopefully having the opportunity to play Notre Dame again. I’m really proud of this team. They’ve worked hard all season. We’re happy to be in the tournament and we’re ready to make a great run.”
Iowa and Notre Dame met in the 2010 season opener. The Irish downed the Hawkeyes in Dougherty’s first match as a head coach.
“We’re a different team than we were when we faced Notre Dame earlier this season. We weren’t ranked the first time we played them, but we’ve improved immensely and we’ll look forward to another potential matchup. But right now our focus is on a very good Boise State team.”
|
“I’m really proud of this team. They’ve worked hard all season. We’re happy to be in the tournament and we’re ready to make a great run.”
Head Coach Katie Dougherty
|
Boise State heads into the NCAA Tournament riding a 10-match winning streak after capturing the WAC’s regular season title and securing an automatic bid to the field of 64 by topping Fresno State in the conference tournament championship.
The 2010 selection marks the Hawkeyes first trip to the NCAA Championships since 2006, when Iowa was ousted by Florida International in Miami, FL. Since 1999, Iowa has made seven trips to the NCAA Championships.
The Hawkeyes are one of six Big Ten Conference teams to earn bids to this year’s NCAA Championships. Regular-season champion Michigan, conference tournament champion Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio State also advanced to NCAA postseason play.