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THIS WEEK:
No. 8 seed Iowa will play ninth-seeded Northwestern on Thursday at 10 a.m. (CT) in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex in Iowa City, Iowa. Admission to all 11 matches are free to the public.
B1G TOURNAMENT HISTORY:
Iowa has hosted the Big Ten Tournament five times since 1934. This is the first time since 2008 the tournament has been held in Iowa City. Under Ross Wilson, the Mellecker Family Head Men’s Tennis Coach, the Hawkeyes are 2-3 in Big Ten Tournament play since 2015.
The Big Ten features six ranked programs, including three in the top 15. The conference boasts three top-20 singles players, including No. 5 Mikael Torpegaard of Ohio State. Overall there are 16 Big Ten student-athletes ranked by the ITA.
LAST WEEKEND RECAP:
• Iowa was defeated by No. 12 Michigan, 6-1, suffering its fifth straight loss to a ranked opponent this season.
• The Hawkeyes defeated Michigan State, 5-2, on ‘Senior Day’ in East Lansing to give Iowa its fourth Big Ten victory and first road conference win of the year.
NORTHWESTERN PREVIEW:
• The Wildcats enter Thursday’s match 9-16 overall record and a 4-7 mark in the league.
• Northwestern comes into the Big Ten Tournament having lost its last five matches.
• Northwestern holds a 66-25 edge over the Hawkeyes, but Iowa defeated Northwestern earlier this month in Iowa City, 4-1, marking its first win over the Wildcats since 2010.
HAWKEYE NOTEABLES:
• From 2015-18, Iowa has won a total of 55 matches over a four-year span, that is ninth most in program history.
• Kareem Allaf leads the Hawkeyes with seven Big Ten wins. Allaf has won eight consecutive singles matches, six of which have come against conference opponents.
• Iowa is 12-5 at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex this season.
• Iowa has won six of its 10 matches during the month of April.
• Jake Jacoby is tied for seventh place in career doubles victories at Iowa with 60.
STARTING MATCHES STRONG:
Iowa has earned the doubles point in 21 matches this season. Jonas Larsen and Kareem Allaf are 16-7 on court one in doubles, registering a team-best four victories over ranked opponents this season.
Will Davies and Piotr Smietana have won 17 of their last 22 doubles decisions. Davies is tied for fourth in Iowa history in single-season doubles wins (22).
MELLECKER FAMILY HEAD MEN’S TENNIS COACH ROSS WILSON:
Ross Wilson, a former two-time NCAA All-American and three-time ITA national doubles champion at Ohio State, is in his fourth season as head coach and fifth year with the Iowa men’s tennis program.
FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES:
Fans can follow the Hawkeyes all season long and receive live match updates on Facebook (facebook.com/IowaMensTennis) and Twitter (@IowaMensTennis). Fans can also get a behind the scene look on Instagram (iowamenstennis).
