Iowa tennis stays perfect across the country
Iowa’s Will Davies hits a forehand during a men’s tennis matchup between Iowa and Butler on Sunday, January 27, 2019. The Hawkeyes defeated the Bulldogs, 5-2.
January 27, 2019
Iowa men’s tennis closed out a weekend full of action with a trio of victories, some closer than others.
Kicking off the competition on Jan. 25, the Hawkeyes breezed past North Dakota, 7-0. Iowa’s 1 and 2 doubles dismissed their competition, 6-1 and 6-2, respectively, before a clean sweep of singles headlined by junior Jason Kerst’s 6-0, 6-0 shutout.
The Hawkeyes were then visited by East Tennessee State, leading to a slight 4-3 victory. While the doubles squads shot off to a similar dominant start, the teams split singles matches. Iowa’s Jonas Larsen and Joe Tyler brought their bouts to a third set, only to finally fall short.
“One of our goals was to come out and get started quickly in doubles and we were able to do that,” Iowa head coach Ross Wilson said in a release. “I think we are a better team than we showed today. Hopefully, it was part of being at the beginning of the season and we show a lot of growth.”
Finally, after a day off of action, Iowa returned to the HTRC on Sunday to face Butler. Iowa’s Will Davies and Oliver Okonkwo were quick to get off the court with a 6-0 victory, and the Hawkeyes clinched the doubles point soon after. Davies’ victory on Court 4 secured the dual for the Hawkeyes, who defeated the Bulldogs, 5-2.
Meanwhile, on the East Coast, the Hawkeye women achieved a pair of triumphs in their first road stand of the season.
On Jan. 26, the Hawkeyes faced Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire. All three doubles squads earned victories, while singles play was headlined by three third-set victories, leading to a 6-1 final.
Finally, Iowa took on Brown on Sunday morning. After once again racing to clinch the doubles point, Iowa ran to victory behind a three-set marathon from Elise van Heuvelen Treadwell (7-5, 5-7, 7-5). The lone loss of the day came from freshman Samantha Mannix after dropping the second and third set to Brown’s Devon Jack.
“Today was another hard-fought win for our young team,” Iowa head coach Sasha Schmid said in a release. “A very valuable experience for our team to be in highly contested battles on all courts. I continue to be so proud of our grit and competitiveness in crucial situations. [Sunday] was a great team victory.”
Iowa tennis takes a weekend off before the women host Iowa State on Feb. 7 and the men welcome Miami on Feb. 8.
