After a strong showing at the Florida International University Invitational, Iowa women’s tennis has officially adjourned for the winter.

The Hawkeyes had a solid weekend, posting a 10-8 singles record. The head-to-head format gave Iowa its first chance to play as a full team.

Senior Elise Van Heuvelen Treadwell led the way for Iowa with a 2-1 singles record. Erika Dodridge, Ashleigh Jacobs, Michelle Bacalla, and Danielle Bauers all also managed to go 2-1 on the weekend.

“We made solid progress as a team this weekend, especially in singles play,” head coach Sasha Schmid said in a release. “We committed to our game plan the best I have seen so far this fall. Next time we play it will be in season, so that is exciting and very motivating for this team.”

Overall, the Hawkeyes had a riveting and successful fall. They went 38-34 in singles play and 17-16 in doubles matches. Iowa participated in five events across three months of play. It is safe to say the Hawkeyes got a large volume of repetitions in during the fall session, just as they had planned.

A number of individual highlights were produced by Iowa this fall, as well. Freshman Erika Dodridge won the singles D Draw at the Gopher Invitational.

Two Hawkeyes were identified as being part of the nation’s most elite group of women’s tennis athletes. Samantha Mannix and Van Heuvelen Treadwell both competed at the ITA’s All-American event in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Eventually, the entirety of the Hawkeye women’s tennis team would make a trip to Oklahoma. At ITA Regionals, Iowa went 16-13 in singles play and 3-3 in doubles for a combined 19-16 overall record. Van Heuvelen Treadwell finished the tournament in a tie for 16th in the singles bracket.

As the old saying goes, a productive fall leads to a stellar spring. The Hawkeyes have undoubtedly had a productive fall, and they know it.

“We’ve had tough fall practices,” Van Heuvelen Treadwell said. “We know that we’ve done our best through conditioning, through meetings with the team and coaches and just practice time. Having that confidence from the last couple of matches will be huge.”

Junior Danielle Burich added to her teammate’s words, speaking about the growth of this Iowa team.

“We just grow through the pain,” Burich said. “We’re going to build off one match at a time and see where it takes us. Already, we’ve had some adversities, but knowing that we grow from every single struggle is a big one. Learning how to deal with whatever comes at us is what we’ve been trying to focus on. We’re just trying to get better every single day.”

Iowa will reconvene after winter break in Fort Myers, Florida, for an exhibition match against South Alabama. Then, the Hawkeyes will begin their NCAA Tournament run against Florida International University on Jan. 20.

“We’ve always had [the NCAA tournament] in mind,” Van Heuvelen Treadwell said. “We believe in it, and we’re not going to stop believing in it. We’re just excited to keep playing matches and keep reaching closer to that goal.”