THIS WEEK
The 66th-ranked University of Iowa women’s tennis team heads to Bloomington, Indiana, to face Indiana in its Big Ten opener on Saturday at 10 a.m. (CT) at the UI Tennis Center.
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans can follow the matches live via StatBroadcast on hawkeyesports.com. A livestream will be available via Playsight and fans can also follow the action live via the Iowa women’s X account (@iowa_tennis).
LAST MATCH
The Hawkeyes hosted No. 52 Oregon on Feb. 23, dropping a 4-3 decision to snap the team’s four-match winning streak. The Ducks captured the doubles point and the six singles matches went back and forth. Senior Vipasha Mehra won a tiebreaker to even the dual at three, but junior Pia Kranholdt dropped a heartbreaker to give Oregon the team win.
IN THE RANKINGS
The Hawkeyes sit at No. 66 in the latest ITA team rankings. Iowa has a 5-6 team record this spring, which includes a 3-1 record at the HTRC.
• In singles, sophomore Daianne Hayashida is ranked 110th nationally. She was ranked No. 85 in the first spring rankings.
STRINGING Ws
Since moving back to the No. 2 singles position, junior Marisa Schmidt has won four consecutive singles matches that have been played to their completion. She has won two matches in straight sets and two in a third set tiebreaker.
• Schmidt, Daianne Hayashida and Barbora Pokorna are tied for the team lead with six singles wins this season.
B1G OPENER
Saturday’s dual will serve as Iowa’s Big Ten Conference opener. The Hawkeyes went 7-4 in league play a season ago with six ranked wins. The team closed regular season play with a 4-1 win over No. 31 Illinois.
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.
ALL DAI
• Sophomore Daianne Hayashida has been Iowa’s No. 1 singles player throughout the spring, posting a 6-4 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.
SCOUTING INDIANA
• Indiana brings a two-match winning streak into Saturday’s dual and the Hoosiers are currently 6-7 overall.
• The Hoosiers are 6-3 at home this season.
• Freshman Elisabeth Dunac leads the team in singles with a 9-1 record.
• Indiana holds a 37-15 advantage in the all-time series against Iowa. The Hawkeyes won the most recent meeting, downing the Hoosiers, 4-1, at the Big Ten Championships.
UP NEXT
Iowa will continue on the road next week, traveling to Lincoln to face Nebraska on March 10 at noon (CT).