By Nicholas Moreano
The Iowa women’s tennis team is undefeated in two matches this season, and the players will try to keep it that way when it hosts Northern Illinois at noon Saturday in the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex.
Both the Hawkeyes and Huskies are coming off impressive wins in which they dominated their opponents. The Hawkeyes defeated Creighton, 7-0, and the Huskies defeated South Dakota State, 7-0 — the Huskies didn’t surrender one set.
“I have a lot of respect for [Northern Illinois],” Iowa head coach Sasha Schmid said. “I think we will be tested, and I love that, and it’s going to be a great opportunity for us to learn about ourselves.”
Only two games into the “spring” season, there is still plenty of learning left for the Hawkeyes. Schmid said she wants to see the Hawkeyes progress into an aggressive doubles team and become a hard-nosed squad that is unwilling to give up points in singles.
In addition to being stubborn about giving up points, the Hawkeyes are resolute in supporting their teammates when they’re playing a match.
On Jan. 21 against Creighton, sophomore Kristen Thoms played an intense match against Hylan Miller. Toward the end, she screamed after each point she won and looked to her teammates, who screamed along. She wound up defeating Miller (6-4, 6-2) and said she couldn’t have done it without the boost from her teammates.
“I need my teammates; they support me,” Thoms said. “I just feel like that there is another level that comes out when I just have all these people supporting me.”
Thoms wasn’t the only Hawkeye who was in a close match against Creighton. Sophomore Adorabol Huckleby, who defeated Creighton’s Michaela Henne, said her teammates played a big part in her win.
“Tennis is an individual sport, but after every point you have your teammates cheering for you and telling you [that] you can do it,” Huckleby said. “That’s really important for confidence and to get that extra push.”
The Hawkeyes have their teammates’ backs and can count on that extra push, but individually, they must hold themselves accountable in each match if they want to stay undefeated.
It starts with freshman Elise van Heuvelen, continues to seniors Aimee Tarun and Natalie Looney, and ends with Schmid. Last season, the Hawkeyes started off 6-0 but ended up with a 10-15 record. Yes, the
Hawkeyes have enjoyed some early success, but they must stay disciplined to avoid a falloff like last year.
For the Hawkeyes to keep heading in the right direction, they must start with focus.
“I think our focus and urgency to play every point the best we can and not have any lapses,” Schmid said. “It’s definitely something that we put an emphasis on, and in the long run, it will just make us better on every point we play.”
