THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s tennis team returns to action Friday, traveling to Urbandale, Iowa, to face Iowa State in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. The match will be held at Life Time Fitness beginning at 5 p.m. (CT). The Hawkeyes will then host Drake on Sunday at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center beginning at noon.
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans can follow the matches live via Statbroadcast on hawkeyesports.com. A livestream will be available for Sunday’s match via Playsight. Fans can also follow the action live via the Iowa women’s X account (@iowa_tennis).
LAST WEEK
Iowa swept its home opener last weekend, posting victories over Memphis and Northern Illinois on Friday at the HTRC. The Hawkeyes posted a 4-0 win over the Tigers, taking the doubles point and winning three singles matches in straight sets. In the night cap, Iowa rebounded after losing the doubles point to win five of the six singles matches en route to a 5-2 victory.
STREAKIN’
Iowa’s doubles duo of Pia Kranholdt and Barbora Pokorna have won three straight doubles matches to run their doubles record to 6-1 this season. It is the duo’s second three-match winning streak on the year.
FRESHMAN FEVER
Freshman Chelsea Bluestein flourished in her HTRC debut, winning all three of her matches. She went undefeated in singles, picking up two straight set singles victories and partnered with Vipasha Mehra to win one doubles match.
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 climbed in the rankings, moving from No. 109 to 85th in the first rankings of the spring season.
• Hayashida opened the spring as Iowa’s No. 1 singles player, where she has a team-best 5-2 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 IOWA STATE
• The Cyclones have dropped three straight matches after starting the season with consecutive wins. Iowa State is 2-3 overall, which includes a ranked loss against No. 12 UCLA.
• Iowa State hosted two matches at the ITA Kickoff at the end of January, where it went 0-2, falling 4-0 to both Old Dominion and UCLA. The Cyclones also lost 6-1 at home to Old Dominion.
• The Hawkeyes have dominated the action in the all-time series, holding a 38-3 advantage.
SCOUTING DRAKE
• Drake brings a 3-4 record into Sunday’s dual in Iowa City after dropping back-to-back 4-3 losses to Montana State and South Dakota. The Bulldogs are 2-1 at home and 1-1 on the road this season.
• Drake’s doubles duo of Rebecca Ehn and Ines Stephani were named MVC Doubles Players of the Week for the week of Jan. 29.
• The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series over Drake, 33-6.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will return to action on Feb. 23, hosting future Big Ten Conference foe Oregon at 5 p.m. at the HTRC.