THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s tennis team will head to the Rocky Mountain State this weekend for a pair of matches. The Hawkeyes will play a neutral site matchup against Kansas State on Saturday before facing Denver on Sunday. Both matches will begin at 11 a.m. (CT) at the Denver Tennis Park.
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans can follow the matches via live streaming at track.tennis.com. Fans can also follow the action live via the Iowa women’s X account (@iowa_tennis).
LAST WEEK
The Hawkeyes went 0-2 at the ITA Kickoff event in Raleigh, North Carolina. Iowa lost a tight match, 4-3, against Clemson in its opener before dropping a 4-2 decision to Alabama to close out the weekend. Iowa got singles wins from Daianne Hayashida and Barbora Pokorna against the Crimson Tide.
AN ENCORE
The Hawkeyes hosted Denver and Kansas State last season in Iowa City, finishing the weekend with two wins. Iowa bested Denver, 5-2, securing the doubles point and getting four singles wins from Marisa Schmidt, Daianne Hayashida and Barbora Pokorna. Iowa downed K-State, 4-1, courtesy of a doubles victory and three singles wins.
DAI: NATIONALLY RANKED
• After winning five matches during the fall season, sophomore Daianne Hayashida earned a spot in ITA’s singles rankings. The Peru native was ranked No. 109 in the nation in the rankings that were released on Nov. 15.
• Hayashida opened the spring as Iowa’s No. 1 singles player, where she has a team-best 3-1 singles record.
• During the fall, Hayashida advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA Midwest Regionals and she competed in the main draw of the ITA Women’s All-American Championships in September. She was the first Hawkeye to advance to the regional quarterfinals since Elise van Heuvelen in 2019.
A REVIEW
• Iowa posted seven victories against ranked opponents during the 2022-23 season, including a 4-1 victory over No. 31 Illinois in Champaign.
• Iowa finished the regular season tied for fifth place in the Big Ten standings, marking the second time in three seasons that the program has placed fifth or better.
SCOUTING KANSAS STATE
• Kansas State brings a 3-0 record into the weekend with wins over Drake, Wichita State and South Dakota. The Wildcats blanked the Coyotes, 7-0, on Jan. 28.
• Iowa leads the all-time series over K-State, 8-4.
SCOUTING DENVER
• Denver is currently 2-2 on the season with wins over Air Force and Colorado State.
• The Pioneers spent last weekend at the ITA Kickoff, dropping a pair of duals to Auburn and Princeton.
• Denver went undefeated at the 2023 Colorado Cup at the end of the fall season, going 24-0 in singles and doubles competition.
• The Pioneer duo of Britt Pursell and Andrea Burguete captured the doubles title at the 2023 ITA Mountain Regional Championships.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will make their home season on Feb. 9, hosting a doubleheader against Memphis and Northern Illinois at the HTRC.