Women’s tennis completes first leg of southeast action
A weekend trip to Florida yielded mixed results for Iowa. The Hawkeyes finished the trip 1-1, defeating South Alabama and falling to Florida International.
Iowa’s Elise Van Heuvelen Treadwell hits a forehand during a women’s tennis match between Iowa and Maryland at the HTRC on Sunday, April 7, 2019. The Hawkeyes defeated the Terrapins, 6-1.
January 20, 2020
Spring is officially in session for Iowa women’s tennis as the Hawkeyes begin 2020 play with a southern swing.
This stretch of Iowa’s schedule features the likes of Texas, Texas Tech, and LSU. The Hawkeyes’ trip began with a matchup against South Alabama in Fort Myers, Florida, on Jan. 18.
Iowa defeated the Jaguars with relative ease, 6-1. The Hawkeyes swept both doubles matches.
Hawkeye juniors Ashleigh Jacobs and Danielle Bauers took down Cami Moreno and Yuri Takanishi, 7-5. Sophomore Samantha Mannix and junior Danielle Burich beat South Alabama’s Milka Pasanen and Leslie Soto, 6-1. The matchup featuring the dyad of senior Elise Van Heuvelen Treadwell and sophomore Michelle Bacalla went unfinished.
In addition, Iowa won five of six singles matches. Van Heuvelen Treadwell, Mannix, Burich, Bacalla, and Jacobs all reigned victorious.
Bauers fell in a three-set thriller to Diana Monsalve, giving the Jaguars their only point on the day.
The Jan. 18 win improved head coach Sasha Schmid’s record in Hawkeye season-openers to 4-0.
“It was great to get the season started today against a competitive South Alabama team,” Schmid said in a release. “I thought we competed well for our first match of the season. It’s always important to close out sets and matches, and we had to play well in crucial situations in each match we played today.”
After their victory in Fort Myers, the Hawkeyes moved on to Orlando, Florida, for the United States Tennis Association National Campus Collegiate Series.
RELATED: Van Heuvelen Treadwell stars for Iowa in Norman
A rematch with Florida International served as Iowa’s first matchup of the series. The Hawkeyes lost their previous match against the Panthers during the fall session.
The rematch in Orlando yielded a similar result. Iowa fell to FIU, 4-1. The Hawkeyes surrendered the doubles point, losing two of three doubles matches.
The Mannix-Burich and Van Heuvelen Treadwell-Bacalla duos fell in straight sets. The Bauers and Jacobs pair dealt Marina Alcaide and Francisca Vergara the Panthers only doubles loss.
Iowa’s woes continued in singles. The Hawkeyes lost three of four matches, with two other matches going unfinished.
Reigning Gopher Invitational Champion Erika Dodridge made her spring début for Iowa on Jan. 18, losing 6-2 and 6-1. Mannix and Jacobs were vanquished and are now 1-1 on the season in singles.
Van Heuvelen Treadwell was Iowa’s lone singles victor, sweeping Kamila Umarova. Van Heuvelen Treadwell moved her record to 2-0 on the season.
“I’m proud of our team today,” Schmid said in a release. “They competed hard and played with tons of heart and fight. It’s tough to be just short today, and this will only inspire them to keep working. We have great opportunities at kickoff this weekend. I’m looking forward to watching this team continue to compete.”
Iowa finished the long weekend with a 9-6 overall record across 17 matches. The Hawkeyes were 6-6 in doubles play and 3-2 in singles.
The 1-1 Hawkeyes next USTA National Campus Collegiate Series opponent is Texas. The Longhorns are ranked seventh in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s latest poll. The Jan. 24 matchup will be Iowa’s first against a ranked adversary this spring.
