The Iowa men’s tennis team will host the Big Ten Tournament with the first matches beginning this morning at 10 a.m. Iowa received the No. 8 seed and will hit the court first against ninth-seeded Northwestern.
The Hawkeyes cruised past the Wildcats in their conference dual on April 1, defeating Northwestern, 4-1, for the first time in seven years at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex. The Iowa squad claimed an early lead, capturing the doubles point and the first singles matches. Freshman Will Davies clinched the match in his three-set victory over junior Jason Seidman.
The Wildcats finished with a 9-16 overall record, and 4-7 in conference decisions with wins over Indiana, Nebraska, Purdue, and Michigan State. Northwestern finished 3-8 in road matches this season and was swept in three of its last five Big Ten matches. The Wildcats lead the series, 66-25, over the Hawkeyes.
“We played them earlier this year and had a good win,” junior Jonas Larsen said. “They’ve always been a really good team, so that [win] was exciting and I’m just excited to go out there and do it again because we can definitely do it.”
No. 5 seed Indiana will take on No. 12 seed Michigan State to round out this morning’s matches. The Hoosiers boast a 7-4 conference record, while the Spartans have only claimed one conference victory over Purdue (4-3).
The second set of matches will begin at 2 p.m. this afternoon. No. 7 seed Penn State will face 10th-seeded Purdue, while No. 6 seed Wisconsin looks to take on 11th-seeded Nebraska. The Nittany Lions defeated the Boilermakers, 4-3, on April 20 and claimed four more conference decisions this season. The Badgers last faced Nebraska on March 17, edging the Huskers, 4-3, in Lincoln.
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No. 1 seed Ohio State, No. 2 seed Illinois, No. 3 seed Michigan and No. 4 seed Minnesota will wait until Friday to face their first opponents in the tournament. If the Hawkeyes claim a first-round victory, they will face Ohio State Friday morning. The Buckeyes completed their conference duals undefeated after sweeping Purdue on April 22 in Indiana.
The potential matchup Ohio State is in the back of head coach Ross Wilson’s mind, but the team will concentrate on capturing its first win.
“There is no Friday without winning [today],” he said. “Most importantly for us is just to focus in on our match with Northwestern. It’s the Big Ten Tournament and we’re hosting it, [but] it’s just another match and we’re trying to prepare the same way that we’ve done the whole year.”
Minnesota will battle either Indiana or Michigan State in the second morning match Friday. Illinois will face either Penn State or Purdue in Round 2 beginning at 2 p.m. and Michigan looks to contest Wisconsin or Nebraska. The first semifinal match begins Saturday at 11 a.m., followed by the second at 2 p.m. The championship match will take place on Sunday at noon and will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network on April 29 at 7 p.m.
Entering the tournament, six Big Ten programs are nationally ranked, with three coming in the top 15. Overall, 16 athletes are ranked by the ITA, including three top-20 singles players – No. 5 Mikael Torpegaard of Ohio State, No. 15 Alex Knight of Michigan, No. 16 Alex Vukic of Illinois. Iowa and Nebraska are the only Big Ten teams lacking any appearances in the national rankings.
With a 12-5 season home record, the Iowa squad is certain hosting the tournament will provide advantages to its weekend.
“I think it’s huge honestly,” assistant coach Matt Hagan said. “You get to sleep in your own bed, you know all the places to eat, you kind of have your same routine you are used to. I think the guys will be ready and refreshed and used to the situation instead of waking up in a hotel and doing things differently.”
The strongest performances typically arise from low in the Iowa lineup, but the entire squad must be ready to contribute for a successful weekend.
Kareem Allaf continues to bolster confidence and leads the squad with seven conference wins. Allaf and Larsen also boast a 16-7 doubles record, including four wins over ranked opponents this season. Freshman Will Davies and Piotr Smietana continue to be a force, snagging 17 of their last 22 doubles matches.
“In college tennis, all the matches are so close,” Wilson said. “It’s can you get three or four guys every match to kind of step up, get a win for you, win those big matches because you’re not going to win them all. I think we’ve had a good season of guys being able to step up in big moments and win big matches for us.”
