April 19, 2011
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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s tennis team will wrap up the Big Ten regular season this weekend with trips to Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Hawkeyes (6-13 overall, 3-5 Big Ten) will play Wisconsin (12-10 overall, 3-5 Big Ten) Saturday at Nielsen Tennis Stadium before traveling to Minneapolis to face Minnesota (5-15 overall, 1-7 Big Ten) at the Baseline Tennis Center Sunday. Both matches will begin at noon (CST). Iowa is 3-8 in road matches this season.
FIGHTING FOR POSITION
Saturday’s match against Wisconsin will be key for seeding at the Big Ten Championships. The Hawkeyes and Badgers are battling for the sixth-seed, as they are currently tied for sixth-place in the conference standings with 3-5 records.
TEAM LEADERS
Junior Sonja Molnar and senior Jessica Young are tied for the team lead in conference victories. Both individuals own 5-3 records. Molnar has played at the No. 1 position in all eight matches, while Young has split time between the No. 2 and 3 spots. Molnar and Young have also teamed to post a 5-3 record in doubles during Big Ten matches. The duo is ranked 31st by the ITA and has topped five nationally ranked tandems during dual match play.
17 AND COUNTING
The Hawkeyes have won 17 consecutive matches in which they have swept through the doubles point. Iowa recently won all three doubles matches during a 4-3 win against Michigan State on April 15. The Hawkeyes have accomplished the feat five times this season.
PAST SUCCESS
Junior Sonja Molnar has posted a 4-0 mark in her career against Wisconsin and Minnesota, recording wins over Wisconsin’s Elizabeth Carpenter and Alaina Trgovich and Minnesota’s Alessandra Ferrazzi and Tijana Koprivica. Molnar, ranked No. 110 by the ITA, is 13-6 during dual matches and 5-3 in conference play this season.
FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS
Head Coach Katie Dougherty will return to her alma mater Saturday when Iowa faces Wisconsin. Dougherty competed for the Badgers from 1999-2002. She was a four-time letter winner at UW and ended her collegiate career with 45 wins in both doubles and singles. Dougherty also served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Badgers in 2008 and 2009.
HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT
The Hawkeyes will look to hand Wisconsin its second home loss of the season Saturday at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium. The Badgers are 9-1 at home this season, with their lone loss coming against No. 8 Michigan.
HAWKEYES CLOSE HOME SCHEDULE
Iowa hosted its final two home matches of the season last weekend at the Hawkeye Tennis Recreation Complex. The Hawkeyes split a pair of matches against Michigan State and Michigan to finish the season with a 3-4 home record that included a 2-2 mark against conference foes.