Hawkeyes to Host Pair of Matches

March 29, 2011

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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s tennis team will host two Big Ten opponents this weekend at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex. The Hawkeyes, 1-2 at home this season, will play Indiana (10-6 overall, 0-3 Big Ten) Saturday at 11 a.m. (CST) before facing No. 58 Purdue (8-5 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) Sunday at noon (CST). Live scoring will be available at http://live.iowatennis.com.

A PAIR OF THREE MATCH STREAKS
Junior Jessica Young is on three-match win streaks in both singles and doubles. The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., native has won all three singles matches at the No. 3 position, improving her dual match record to 6-7. Young and teammate Sonja Molnar have also been victorious in three straight matches while playing at the No. 1 doubles spot. Molnar and Young are the No. 46 tandem in the country and are 8-3 in dual matches.

ON THE BOARD
Junior Cassandra Escobar won her first dual match in a Hawkeye uniform March 27 against Penn State when she won a 6-2, 7-5 decision over Maria Prishlyak. Escobar won 17 dual matches as a freshman and sophomore at the University of New Orleans.

IT STARTS WITH DOUBLES
Iowa swept all three doubles matches March 27 against Penn State. The Hawkeyes have swept the through the doubles point in all four victories this season and have won 16 straight matches in which they have accomplished the feat.

THE COMPETITION
The Hoosiers enter the weekend on a four-game losing skid. Indiana’s roster features the No. 78 player in the country, sophomore Leslie Hereau. Heareu is 9-5 in dual matches while playing at the No. 1 position. She and teammate Myriam Sopel are also ranked 31st in doubles by the ITA. IU is 1-3 in road matches.

The Boilermakers boast the nation’s No. 38 doubles duo in Mara Schmidt and Jennifer Rabot. The pair has recorded an 8-8 record during dual matches. In singles, Purdue’s two winningest players have been Bhavani Tirumurti and Imogen Golder. Both individuals have a dual match record of 9-4. Purdue will play at Illinois Saturday before traveling to Iowa City.

LAST TIME OUT
The Hawkeyes opened their Big Ten schedule on the road last weekend, splitting a pair of matches against No. 71 Ohio State and Penn State. Iowa fell 6-1 to the Buckeyes on Friday at the OSU Varsity Tennis Center before bouncing back to top Penn State 5-2 Sunday at the Sarni Tennis Center. The Hawkeyes won four of six singles matches against the Nittany Lions, the first time they had done so since their Feb. 25 win against Miami (OH). Jessica Young led the Hawkeyes, going undefeated in four weekend matches. Young topped both her opponents in singles at the No. 3 position and teamed with Sonja Molnar to earn a pair of doubles victories at the top spot.