The Iowa women’s tennis team is slated to begin its spring season on Saturday against Northern Iowa.

Last year when the teams met, Iowa defeated the Panthers, 7-0. This season, the Hawks are fresh off a tournament in Orlando, Florida, 11 days ago.

Sophomore Aimee Tarun’s outlook is that the recent tournament and quick turnaround are good ways to start the season.

“We got to compete against a lot of good teams. I think the competition level was high, and it gave us a lot to look at in terms of what’s already there and what we need to improve upon,” Tarun said. “We learned a lot from the tournament. It was a good starting point to the season and gave us a lot of matches.”

Head coach Katie Dougherty agrees, and she is confident after the preseason play. Being able to have the players play in matches is immeasurably advantageous, she said.

“Our preseason was really good,” she said. “I think everyone came back from the Florida tournament energized and in great shape. We were able to get a lot of experience from those matches.”

The meet is scheduled to take place at noon in the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex

— by Josh Hicks