THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s tennis team opens its 2023 spring season this weekend at the NIU Huskie Winter Invitational, Friday through Monday at the Nelson Tennis Center at Chick Evans Field House in DeKalb, Illinois. The invitational will include flighted singles and doubles draws. Matches will begin each day at 9 a.m.
Joining the Hawkeyes will be individuals from DePaul, Montana State, Marshall, and Northern Illinois.
ON IOWA
Six of the seven Hawkeyes will be competing this weekend: freshmen Daianne Hayashida and Pia Kranholdt, seniors Anya Lamoreaux and Samantha Mannix, and sophomores Barbora Pokorna and Marisa Schmidt. Pokorna will be making her season debut after missing fall competition due to injury.
Iowa will begin team play next week when it travels to Charlotte (Jan. 20) and Furman (Jan. 22).
IOWA NEWCOMERS
Freshman Daianne Hayashida and Pia Kranholdt, and senior transfer Anya Lamoreaux are all making their spring debut for the Hawkeyes.
• Hayashida, who is from the Peru, was a Fed Cup Group II American Zone Champion. She won the gold medal in doubles and earned bronze in singles at the 2021 Pan American Games that took place December 2021. Hayashida was the South American Champion at 12 and 14-years old, as well as a finalist at 16. She placed seventh at the World Cup in the Czech Republic when she was 14-years old.
• Kranholdt, a native from Germany, was one of the top junior tennis players from Germany. She had a Top 100 German Women’s Open Ranking. Kranholdt won a doubles title at the German Junior Nationals. She won multiple Women’s Open tournaments with victories over several players inside the Top 100. Her high school team won the German national title and represented Germany at the World Championships.
• Lamoreaux transferred to Iowa after three seasons at the University of Utah. During her time with the Utes, she amassed 35 singles wins and 32 doubles victories in dual match competition. Lamoreaux tied for a team high with eight singles wins as a junior in 2021. Lamoreaux won a single-season best 12 singles matches, including going 8-1 in dual match competition, and 14 doubles matches as a sophomore. An ITA Scholar Athlete and Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll honoree, Lamoreaux beat No. 103 ranked Danielle Wilson of USC in straight sets on March 4, 2022, to help Utah record its first-ever victory over the Trojans in program history.
FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
Fans can follow the Iowa women’s tennis team on Facebook and via twitter @Iowa_Tennis. Results from this weekend will be available on the Iowa women’s tennis schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.