March 17, 2011
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BABSON PARK, Florida — The University of Iowa men’s tennis team capped its spring break trip on a high note on Thursday, sailing past Florida Atlantic. The No. 74 Hawkeyes (6-5 overall) knocked off the Owls (7-5) 6-1 on a neutral site.
The Hawkeyes finished 2-1 during their stay in Florida, defeating Central Florida as well to start the trip. Iowa rebounded with the victory against the Owls after falling to South Florida four days earlier.
“This is a very good win against a team that has some national level wins,” said head coach Steve Houghton. “I think it was a good trip for our team.”
Iowa secured the doubles point with two victories to claim a 1-0 lead. Senior Marc Bruche and junior Will Vasos defeated Marc Abdelnour and Ervin Garibovic 8-4 to earn their seventh doubles win of the season, which leads the team. In No. 3 doubles, senior Nikita Zotov and sophomore Garret Dunn topped Derek Madon and Oliver Webb 9-8.
Bruche also notched an impressive singles victory, defeating Abdelnour in three sets. Bruche lost the first set 2-6, but took the next two sets 6-4, 7-6.
Vasos earned a win in No. 3 singles with a 6-4, 6-3 advantage over Daniel Vardag. Senior Austen Kauss also cruised to a win in No. 4 singles with a 6-3, 6-2 advantage over Webb.
Freshman Jonas Dierckx and junior Tom Mroziewicz earned victories in three sets for Iowa. Dierckx topped Marc Wakim 3-6, 7-6, 6-0. Mroziewicz defeated Madon 6-2, 6-7, 7-5.
“The highlight of the match was Marc’s win against an opponent that will be nationally ranked. That was a good win for him in another gritty No. 1 singles match,” said Houghton. “Jonas also did a good job in his first high level competition in a dual.”
Iowa will return to action inside the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center with Big Ten competition. The Hawkeyes host No. 4 Ohio State on March 25th at 2 p.m.
No. 74 Iowa 6,Florida Atlantic 1
Doubles Marc Bruche/Will Vasos (IOWA) def. Marc Abdelnour/Ervin Garibovic (FAU) 8-4 Marc Wakim/Omar El Kheshen (FAU) def. Austen Kauss/Jonas Dierckx (IOWA) 8-4 Nikita Zotov/Garret Dunn (IOWA) def. Derek Madon/Oliver Webb (FAU) 9-8
Singles Bruche (IOWA) def. Abdelnour (FAU) 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 Garibovic (FAU) def. Zotov (IOWA) 6-4, 6-3 Vasos (IOWA) def. Daniel Vardag (FAU) 7-6, 6-4 Kauss (IOWA) def. Webb (FAU) 6-3, 6-2 Dierckx (IOWA) def. Wakim (FAU) 3-6, 7-6, 6-0 Tom Mroziewicz (IOWA) def. Madon (FAU) 6-2, 6-7, 7-5