The Iowa men’s tennis team improved its record to 6-1 and gained its first victory against a ranked opponent this year against No. 54 Utah on Monday, 4-3.

The Hawkeyes finished their trip 2-0 including a win over BYU on Sunday, also 4-3.

“It was a great weekend,” senior Matt Hagan said. “A lot of guys stepped up in big situations. To leave here with two wins is a huge step in the right direction for the program.”

The Hawkeyes dropped the doubles point to the Utes with losses by Hagan and junior Dom Patrick in the No. 1 pairing and freshmen Lefteris Theodorou and Stieg Martens at No. 2. However, singles wins by Hagan at No. 1, Patrick at No. 3, freshman Josh Silverstein at No. 5, and freshman Jake Jacoby at No. 6 sealed the victory for Iowa.

The players said a win against a ranked team such as Utah can give the young Hawkeyes a lot of confidence heading into the conference schedule.

“Our confidence is very high right now,” Hagan said. “Hopefully, we can continue this success in future matches.”

— by Blake Dowson