The Iowa men’s tennis team will bounce along the road this weekend, facing Dayton and Ohio State today, then No. 33 Penn State on April 3.

This morning’s match will be Iowa’s first against Dayton. The No. 60 Hawkeyes will face the Flyers at 11 a.m., then travel the 75 miles to Columbus to face No. 4 Ohio State.

Dayton has a 0-3 record against ranked teams this season, but it has strung together a 12-5 record, 6-1 at home.

Ohio State has been dominant all season and remains among the top tier nationally. The Buckeyes have a 12-0 record at home and also top the conference, along with Wisconsin and Northwestern, at three Big Ten wins.

“The guys are excited to play a team such as Ohio State, and I think we’re going to go in there and play with good energy,” Iowa head coach Ross Wilson said in a release.

Penn State will also prove to be a tough test for the Hawkeyes; it has recorded a 9-0 record at home. Iowa and

Penn State are tied in the Big Ten at 1-2, with Penn State losing to Ohio State and Michigan.

The last time Penn State and Iowa met, the Nittany Lions walked away with the match, 4-2, at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex. One of the few bright spots Iowa in last season’s match was a singles victory by Hawkeye Lefteris Theodorou, who played at the No. 2 spot.

Wilson is an alumnus of Ohio State and was a superb player while playing for the Buckeyes. He was an NCAA All-American twice and played in three Intercollegiate Tennis Association doubles championships.

“It’s exciting to go back to Ohio State,” Wilson said in a release. “I think having the success that we were able to have there and being part of that program set me up to be successful as a coach in the Big Ten. That being said, I’m at the University of Iowa, and this is what’s important to me. I want to make sure that we have the best program possible.

“They have a lot of great players, and they are a storied program, but at the same time, we want to go in and give it our best shot.”

The match in Columbus is set to begin at 6 p.m. today. The Hawks will then play Penn State at noon April 3.