The Iowa men’s tennis team will head to Hanover, New Hampshire, this weekend to take on Dartmouth for a chance to prove itself against a ranked team. After climbing back to 5-5 record, the Hawkeyes will have to dig deep to clinch their first road win of the season.

“[This is a] great opportunity for our guys to compete against a top-20 team on the road this weekend,” head coach Ross Wilson said.

Jonas Larsen and Kareem Allaf are keeping a steady pace at No. 1 doubles for Iowa, rolling up a 8-2 record since January.

The Hawkeyes have also seen strong performances from their three freshmen so far. Piotr Smietana, Joe Tyler, and Will Davies will return from wins over Denver on Feb. 16. Smietana and Tyler both overcame deficits in the first set, and Davies took his match in straight sets (6-2, 6-3).

Wilson recognizes it’s still early in the season, but the team will have to buckle down Feb. 24.

“We have 10 matches under our belt,” he said. “The guys are going to have to step up in the big moments this weekend if we want to get a win.”

The Big Green will also show off some key players. Sophomores David Horneffer and Charlie Broom are ranked 17th nationally in doubles. In singles rankings, and freshman Dan Martin sits at No. 101.

Dartmouth accumulated a 12-0 record the first month of the season, propelling it to 14th in the national rankings. The Big Green enter the weekend glowing from their first-ever championship title. The last time Dartmouth and Iowa met, the Hawkeyes pulled out a narrow 4-3 home victory on Feb. 5, 2017.