Oct. 16, 2013
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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s tennis team travels this weekend to Tulsa, Okla., for the ITA Regional Tournament. All 10 Hawkeyes will participate in the tournament featuring the top collegiate players in the Central Region. Senior Jonas Dierckx and junior Matt Hagan qualified for the main draw, while the other eight Hawkeyes will start in the qualifying draw.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hawkeyes wrapped up play at the Wake Forest Invite Oct. 13, notching four singles victories and two doubles win. The trio of Hagan, Dierckx, and Juan Estenssoro were placed in the top brackets of the weekend-long tournament, drawing some of the top talent. Playing in the top bracket, Hagan began the tournament Friday by dropping Anthony Delcore, the number two seed in the tournament. Both Dierckx and Estenssoro notched wins against Tomas Hanzlik of Penn State during the tournament. Hanzlik is the number one singles player for the Nittany Lions.
VETERANS BACK IN ACTION
Iowa will feature a roster that consists of a large number of veterans. Eight of the 10 Hawkeyes are upperclassmen, with six of them being seniors. Iowa is led by senior Jonas Dierckx. Dierckx compiled a 19-18 (.514) record in singles while playing in the #1 and #2 position to accompany a 12-6 (.667) record in the #2 spot of doubles last year. Dierckx was also a recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship award.
HAWKEYE NEWCOMER
The Hawkeyes will feature one new member to their roster for the fall schedule. Freshman Nils Hallestrand joins the team from Danderyd, Sweden, after an impressive prep career. The 6-foot-5 Hallestrand was a part of the 2013 national runner-up club team that competed outdoors, while placing in the top 16 at the 2013 U21 indoor nationals. Making his collegiate debut at the Purdue Invite, Hallestrand finished the weekend 2-1 in singles, reaching the Flight C Quarterfinals, to go along with a 2-1 record in doubles with partner Chase Tomlins.
NEW ASSISTANT COACH WILSON
Ross Wilson joins the program as an assistant coach after serving the past year as an assistant coach at San Diego. Wilson was named the 2012 ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year and ITA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year this past year after he helped guide San Diego to a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Wilson was a two-time NCAA All-American and three-time ITA national doubles champion during his playing days at Ohio State.
HEAD COACH HOUGHTON
Steve Houghton, the dean of Big Ten tennis coaches, is in his 33rd year as head coach of the Hawkeyes. He has compiled a career record of 345-381 (.475), recording the most wins of any coach in Iowa men’s tennis history.
HOUGHTON ON ITA REGIONALS
“We will be up against some very good teams. It will be a challege for our team but it is all part of the process. I hope to see some guys convert playing the right way into winning matches. Hopefully we can build on this weekend as we head into Big Ten Singles and Doubles so that we are firing on all cylinders.”