The skies dimming in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Sunday evening were not enough to stop the Hawkeyes from shining. Yesterday evening served as nice cap for a successful weekend for Iowa women’s tennis.

Over the weekend, the Hawkeye women’s tennis team competed in the Gopher Invitational for the first time since 2016.

The highlight of the weekend was Erika Dodridge’s victory over Iowa State’s Oumaima Aziz. Dodridge defeated Aziz in straight sets, winning 7-6 and 6-3. The win earned her the D Draw championship.

Dodridge, a freshman, also appears to be following in one of her teammate’s footsteps. Elise Van Heuvelen Treadwell was also a freshman when she won her Gopher Invitational flight. The last two times Iowa has competed at the Gopher Invite, one of their freshmen has come home a champion in their flight.

Dodridge was not the only Hawkeye that found success this weekend either. Iowa was able to win six doubles matches over three days of tournament play. The Hawkeyes were also able to win seven singles matches over the weekend.

The Gopher Invite may serve as a solid springboard for the rest of Iowa’s 2019-20 campaign. The last time Iowa found success at the Gopher Invite, they finished the season 16-9. The Hawkeyes aren’t shying away from the importance of early season successes like this either.

“I think fall performance does, usually, translate to good spring performance,” said Junior Ashleigh Jacobs. “If we can get started off on a good note I think it’ll carry us forward.”

Fellow Junior, Danielle Burich shares Jacobs’s opinion.

“We can learn from the fall season and how it goes. We can take it with us into the spring season,” said Burich

Iowa’s success this weekend is not likely to cloud their vision either. As Jacobs and Burich noted, the action really picks up for the Hawkeyes in the spring. Spring matches are what may help Iowa achieve their goal and find their way into the 2020 NCAA tournament.

However, the importance of early season play is not to be underestimated. The Hawkeyes want to get as many matches under their collective belts as possible.

“It was great to get match play in all weekend. We needed the good competition,” said head coach Sasha Schmid in a release.

While Gopher Invitational success has served as a barometer for Hawkeye achievement in the past, the road ahead for the Hawkeyes isn’t easy. In a few weeks the Hawkeyes will head to Norman, Oklahoma, to compete in ITA Regionals. Following ITAs, Iowa will head to Miami, Florida, for the conclusion of their fall season at the Florida International University (FIU) Invitational.

The Gopher Invitational has certainly left the Hawkeyes feeling excited for the upcoming season. If the past is any indicator, the Hawkeyes have the right to be excited. Strong performances will help Iowa leap toward its goal for the spring season, an NCAA Tournament berth. Iowa will begin the spring season against South Alabama on Jan. 18th.