THIS WEEK:
No. 48 Iowa remains home this weekend for a pair of matches against Big Ten opponents. The Hawkeyes will face No. 8 Michigan on Friday (noon CT), followed by Michigan State on Sunday (11 a.m. CT). Both matches will take at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex.
Due to the pandemic, there will be no general admission admittance.
FOLLOW THE ACTION LIVE:
Fans can follow the action from every home match this season with live scoring and/or live stream via PlaySight. Click on the live links on the Iowa Men’s Tennis Schedule webpage at hawkeyesports.com.
ALLAF APPROACHES SCHOOL RECORD:
Redshirt senior Kareem Allaf has 157 combined wins in singles and doubles, three victories shy of the program record set by Tyler Cleveland (1998-2001). Allaf has amassed 91 career singles wins, which ranks second in school history.
ON IOWA:
The 38th-ranked Hawkeyes are a veteran squad featuring seven upperclassmen and two freshmen. Kareem Allaf is in his sixth year in the program; Jason Kerst is a fifth-year senior, while Will Davies and Joe Tyler are in their fourth year at Iowa.
#8 MICHIGAN BREAKDOWN:
• The Wolverines are 6-1 overall and a perfect 6-0 against Big Ten competition. Michigan won at home last weekend against Penn State (6-1) and eighth-ranked Ohio State (4-3).
• Michigan’s roster is loaded with experience with 10 of its 13 players being upperclassmen.
• Iowa is 8-54 all-time against Michigan. The Hawkeyes beat the Wolverines the last time the two teams met (4-1) on April 21, 2019, in Iowa City.
MICHIGAN STATE BREAKDOWN:
• The Spartans are 2-6 overall and 2-4 in conference play. Michigan State’s two wins came over Minnesota (4-3) and Purdue (5-2).
• Nine of MSU’s 12 student-athletes hail from inside the Big Ten footprint.
• Iowa is 35-32 all-time against Michigan State. The Hawkeyes cruised to a 5-2 win over the Spartans in the last meeting on April 19, 2019, in Iowa City.
DEFENDING HOME COURT:
Iowa has won four of its first five home matches of the 2021 season. The Hawkeyes have won 18 of their last 21 matches in the HTRC, dating back to April, 2019.
HAWKEYE NOTEABLES:
• Kareem Allaf is ranked a career-best No. 39 in singles, while the doubles team of Oliver Okonkwo and Will Davies are ranked No. 17 nationally. Allaf’s preseason national ranking is believed to be the highest by a Hawkeye.
• Okonkwo and Davies are in their third season as doubles partners. The duo have bounced two ranked opponents this season and 10 in the last three years.