Hawkeye tennis suffers first losing streak of season
Both the Iowa men’s and women’s teams dropped dual matches for the second weekend in a row.
Iowa’s Sophie Clark hits a forehand during a women’s tennis match between Iowa and Penn State at the HTRC on Sunday, February 24, 2019. The Hawkeyes fell to the Nittany Lions, 4-3.
March 3, 2019
Iowa tennis had yet another weekend to forget after getting dismantled by ranked opponents on the road.
The women’s team (7-3) dropped its third contest in a row, this time to No. 37 Kansas State (4-1) on March 2 after beginning the season 7-0. The men’s team (8-3) wasn’t much better. The Hawkeyes dropped their second-consecutive match with a decisive 5-2 loss to No. 38 Texas Tech on March 3.
Although both teams seem to be struggling as the middle of the season approaches, there are some positives from each squad’s performance.
The biggest thing for the women’s team is gaining valuable experience playing on the road. Iowa has five newcomers this season, and they have all been big contributors.
Freshman Samantha Mannix, Cloe Ruette, Sophie Clark, Michelle Bacalla, and sophomore transfer Ashleigh Jacobs have made a combined 35 singles starts, winning 20 of them.
With recent matches coming on the road, the underclassmen have struggled with missed opportunities to pick up wins away from the Hawkeye Tennis Complex.
“Kansas State is a good team, and we didn’t capitalize on some opportunities in doubles and a few spots during singles,” head coach Sasha Schmid said in a release. “Those missed opportunities are too big to overcome against a good and experienced team. We have a tough road stretch ahead of us, and it’s important for us keep working hard and get opportunities again.”
Of the five main contributing first-year players, only Clark came up with a singles victory. Clark improved her singles record to a team-best 8-1 after a win over Karine-Marion Job (6-4, 3-6, 6-4) at No. 3.
Additionally, she has a 5-2 record in doubles when paired with Jacobs or Mannix.
Given the team has its next six games on the road with Furman and Florida Gulf Coast coming up next weekend, Clark needs to keep giving the Hawkeyes a spark.
For the men’s team, there were two key bright spots.
Only freshman Oliver Okonkwo and sophomore Will Davies were able to pick up victories in Lubbock, Texas.
Okonkwo (9-2) continued his amazing start to his Iowa career, winning in straight sets (7-6, 7-5). Davies (9-2) cruised to another straight-set win (6-1, 6-3) as well. The two now share the team lead with nine singles wins.
Unfortunately for Iowa, Okonkwo and Davies’ doubles match went unfinished because Texas Tech had secured the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 3.
This meant the powerhouse duo’s doubles record remained at 8-2, Iowa’s best this season.
The Hawkeyes are a strong 8-1 at home, a good sign when they host Drake on March 8.
