THIS WEEK
The 75th-ranked University of Iowa women’s tennis team is set to host a pair of nationally ranked opponents this weekend at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex. The Hawkeyes will face No. 34 Illinois on Friday at 5 p.m. (CT) and No. 35 Northwestern on Sunday at noon. Admission is free.
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans can follow live via StatBroadcast on hawkeyesports.com. A livestream will be available via playsight.com and fans can also follow the action live via the Iowa women’s X account (@iowa_tennis).
LAST MATCH
The Hawkeyes posted their first ranked victory of this season, defeating No. 75 Nebraska, 4-2, on March 10 in Lincoln. Iowa stormed back after dropping the doubles point, capturing four singles wins to seal the match victory. Senior Vipasha Mehra set the standard, capturing the first win on court five, defeating Ana Zamurek in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3. Junior Barbora Pokorna put the Hawkeyes up 3-1 with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Isa Adrover Gallego, 6-2, 6-1, before sophomore Pia Kranholdt clinched the win in a marathon match, downing Maja Pietrowicz, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6, 7-6 (7-4).
TEAM DUBS
After starting the season with a 1-5 record, the Hawkeyes have won six of their last seven duals, including two straight two open Big Ten Conference play. The only loss during the stretch was a 4-3 decision to No. 52 Oregon on Feb. 23 in Iowa City.
STRINGING Ws
• Junior Marisa Schmidt is riding a team-best six-match winning streak in singles. She is a perfect 7-0 at the No. 2 line this season.
• Senior Vipasha Mehra has won four straight — three being straight-set wins — and one in a third-set tiebreaker.
• Juniors Barbora Pokorna and Schmidt are tied for the team lead with eight singles wins this season.
• Iowa is 9-2 in singles matches in Big Ten play this season.
A PERFECT PAIR
• Sophomore Pia Kranholdt and junior Barbora Pokorna have a team-best nine doubles figures this season. The duo has played at every spot in the doubles lineup, posting a 1-0 record at No. 1, 2-2 at No. 2 and 6-1 at No. 3.
ALL DAI
• Sophomore Daianne Hayashida has been Iowa’s No. 1 singles player throughout the spring, posting a 7-4 singles record. She is currently ranked No. 122 in the ITA singles rankings.
• 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 NO. 34 ILLINOIS
• Illinois is currently 10-5 on the season and 2-0 in conference play, with a significant win against No. 23 UCF.
• Violeta Martinez (10-5) and McKenna Schaefbauer (11-5) lead the team in singles.
• Megan Heuser holds the No. 1 position for Illinois, posting a 6-4 singles record in that spot.
• Doubles pair Megan Heuser and Alice Xu are 9-1 in doubles competition and sit at No. 47 in the most recent ITA Rankings.
SCOUTING NO. 35 NORTHWESTERN
• The Wildcats have won three straight and seven of their last eight duals to improve to 11-4 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten action. Northwestern’s last three wins have all come against ranked opponents.
• Sydney Pratt leads Northwestern with a 12-1 singles record, posting wins at the No. 4-6 positions. Justine Leong (3-3), who is ranked No. 88 in singles, and Maria Shusharina (4-3) have shared the top spot in the Wildcat lineup.
• The doubles duo Christina Hand and Leong is ranked 50th nationally. Britany Lau and Marina Shusharina are 9-0 with eight wins coming at the No. 3 position.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will hit the road for a pair of Big Ten duals next weekend. Iowa will face Wisconsin on March 29 in Madison and Minnesota on March 31 in Minneapolis.