The road has not been friendly to the Iowa men’s tennis team so far this season; the Hawks are 2-6 away from home.
They will face another tough test in the Big Ten as they head to Madison, Wisconsin, today to take on the Badgers.
The No. 56 Hawkeyes will try to end a five-game losing streak behind sophomore Lefteris Theodorou, who has been the lone bright spot during the team’s recent struggles.
Theodorou has played at the No.1 spot in three of his last five matches and has a 3-1 record at that spot this season.
“I try to go into my matches with a lot of energy so I don’t lack intensity or motivation,” he said in a release.
During his career as a Hawkeye, Theodorou has built up an impressive 6-1 record at the No.1 spot.
Defeating the Badgers will be no easy task; they are on a hot streak, winning their past five matches. Wisconsin is coming off a 4-3 win against No. 35 Drake in Des Moines.
“The Badgers have a lot of talent on their team,” head coach Ross Wilson said in a release. “They’ve got a number of juniors and seniors who’ve played a lot of matches, so they’rve definitely a very capable team, and this doesn’t surprise us at all.”
The last time Iowa faced Wisconsin, the Badgers were unranked and the Hawkeyes came away with a 4-3 victory. The Badgers have one Big Ten win this season, against Minnesota earlier this month.
Iowa is still in search of its first conference win, although it has played only Big Ten matchup this season, losing to Nebraska, 4-3.
“I had a bad match against Nebraska, and afterwards, I knew I needed to pick myself up and pick up my intensity on the court,” Theodorou said in a release.
Four of Iowa’s next five matches come against Big Ten opponents: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio State, and Penn State. All of those matches will be on the road for the Hawkeyes except the March 27 match against the Gophers.
On the women’s side, the team is set for Big Ten matches against Wisconsin (today) and Minnesota (March 27) at home.
“Two tough teams coming in this weekend and two great opportunities for us,” head coach Katie Dougherty said in a release. “We are improving each week, and our younger players are starting to step up even more.”
Iowa is seeking its first Big Ten win this season after starting the season 0-3 in conference play against Nebraska, Indiana, and Maryland.