Hawk Talk Monthly — February | Fight For Iowa | Match Notes (PDF)
THIS WEEK:
The No. 28 University of Iowa men’s tennis team will host No. 50 VCU on Saturday followed by its Big Ten opener against Nebraska on Sunday. Both matches will start at Noon (CT) at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex. Admission is free to the public.
LAST TIME OUT:
• The Hawkeyes notched their eighth victory of the campaign, spliting with Utah (3-4) and No. 35 Denver (4-3) over the weekend on the road.
VCU BREAKDOWN:
• The Rams enter this week’s action riding a six-match win streak and a 7-2 record, last beating East Carolina (6-1).
• VCU’s No. 1 doubles team of Inigo Torre Martin and Rayane Stable boast a 6-1 record this season.
• This will be the first meeting between the two programs.
NEBRASKA BREAKDOWN:
• The Cornhuskers enter this week 2-7 and play Pepperdine Friday before traveling to Iowa on Sunday for the conference opener.
• Nebraska’s lineup features eight underclassmen and one senior.
• Iowa has won four straight against Nebraska, including beating the Huskers twice in 2019 (5-2 in Lincoln and 4-1 at Big Ten Championships).
HAWKEYE NOTABLES:
• Redshirt senior Kareem Allaf is ranked No. 61 in the country.
• Will Davies and Oliver Okonkwo are ranked 10th nationally in doubles; it’s the highest ranking of any Hawkeye tandem ever.
• Allaf is tied for the second most singles wins in a program history (82).
• Allaf passed Bart Van Monsjou for second place in school history with 139 combined singles and doubles victories.
• Two Hawkeyes own eight or more singles wins (Allaf and Davies). Davis has won eight straight singles matches, matching a career high.
• Allaf and Davies both cracked Iowa’s career Top 10 list in doubles victories over the weekend.
• The Hawkeyes are coming off one of its best seasons in 20 years, finishing fifth in the Big Ten and knocking off three ranked Big Ten foes.
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 scenes look on Instagram (iowamenstennis).
HEAD 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 sixth season as head coach and seventh year with the Iowa men’s tennis program.
