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THIS WEEK:
The University of Iowa men’s tennis team travels to Norman, Oklahoma, which runs Thursday through Monday, for the ITA Regional Tournament. All seven Hawkeyes will participate in the tournament featuring the top collegiate players in the central region.
HAWKEYE LINEUP:
Senior Matt Hagan, junior Dominic Patrick, and freshman Josh Silverstein will compete in the main draw, while senior Andres Estenssoro, sophomore Nils Hallestrand, and freshman Jake Jacoby will start in the qualifying draw. Also, tandems of Patrick/Hagan, Silverstein/Jacoby, and Estenssoro/Hallestrand will be competing in doubles. Freshman Lefteris Theodorou will not be competing this weekend due to an injury.
LAST COMPETITION RECAP:
Matt Hagan won his first two matches at the pre-qualifying ITA All-American Tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Sept. 27-29, before falling in the Round of 64. Hagan was defeated by Sanjay Goswami of Weber State (6-3, 6-3) in the first round, followed by a three-set triumph (7-5, 3-6, 6-3) over Nicolai Ferrigno of Oklahoma State. Andres Estenssoro, Dominic Patrick, and Lefteris Theodorou each notched a victory at the tournament.
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HAWKEYE RETURNEES:
The Hawkeyes lost six seniors to graduation last spring, but return four student-athletes in 2014-15. Andres Estenssoro and Matt Hagan enter their senior seasons, while Dominic Patrick is a junior and Nils Hallestrand enters his sophomore campaign. Estenssoro and Dominic Patrick posted 7-6 and 23-16 singles records, respectively, in 2013-14; neither player saw doubles action. Hallestrand was 9-7 in singles and 3-1 in doubles action a year ago. Hagan was 16-15 in singles and 15-10 in doubles.
HAWKEYE NEWCOMERS:
Iowa welcomes three freshmen to the squad: Jake Jacoby (Little Rock, Arkansas), Josh Silverstein (Great Neck, New York), and Lefteris Theodorou (Athens, Greece). Jacoby was a four-time Arkansas state champion. Silverstein was a five-time USTA National Open doubles champion and had success on the junior tournament circuit this past summer. Theodorou, a Greek National champion, was the No. 1 Greek player ranked in U14, U16, and U18.
INTERIM HEAD COACH Ross Wilson:
Ross Wilson, a former two-time NCAA All-American and three-time ITA national doubles champion at Ohio State, is the interim head men’s tennis coach after the announcement of Steve Houghton’s retirement on Sept. 8. Wilson served as the team’s assistant coach last season. Wilson, the 2012 ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year and ITA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year, came to Iowa after serving as assistant coach at nationally-ranked San Diego during the 2012-13 season. Wilson was a standout at national power Ohio State from 2002-06. He was a two-time NCAA All-American and three-time ITA national doubles champion. He broke the Buckeyes’ overall career wins record, career doubles wins record and single season doubles wins record in 2006.
WILSON ON ITA CENTRAL REGIONALS:
“This weekend will be a good test because we have some good regional opponents in Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Wichita State, Arkansas, and Tulsa, that we will also see during the season. Hopefully, we’ll get an opportunity to compete against them and get to measure our level as well.”
