The Iowa women’s tennis team finished with an 0-2 record this week, taking a  4-3 road loss to DePaul on Feb. 21, then suffering a 4-0 shutout defeat against Iowa State at home on Feb. 24. 

After reaching a 3-1 record with a victory over Kansas State on Feb. 5, the Hawkeyes have dropped three of their last four matches to fall to 4-4 on the season. 

Too comfortable in Chicago 

The Hawkeyes got off to a strong start at XS Tennis Village in Chicago, taking two of three doubles matches for an early 1-0 lead over DePaul — the first time in three matches Iowa had earned the doubles point. 

In singles play, Iowa freshman Daianne Hayashida and fifth-year senior Samantha Mannix each recorded victories. Hayashida earned a straight set win over DePaul graduate student Valentina Martin, while Mannix won the third and decisive set in her match, 6-4, to triumph over Blue Demon freshman Hannah Smith.

Yet the Hawkeyes couldn’t get the third singles win they needed to clinch the dual victory.

“You just don’t wake up with a very good feeling the next day because we just didn’t play to the standard that I expect from us in terms of competing,” Iowa head coach Sasha Schmid told The Daily Iowan on Feb. 22. “I just think we got complacent in a couple spots and credit [DePaul]. They were the underdogs and they came after us and, you know, that’s why you play the match: because anybody can win. But we let that one go.”

On Court 1, Iowa sophomore Marisa Schmidt won the first set, 6-2, but then dropped the next two sets by identical scores to DePaul senior Yuliya Kizelbasheva. A native of Armavir, Russia, Kizelbasheva was on the 2022 All-Big East first team and was ranked 20th overall in the ITA Midwest region singles’ rankings the same year. 

Iowa freshman Pia Kranholdt, sophomore Barbora Pokorna, and junior Vipasha Mehra, each dropped their singles matches — Kranholdt and Mehra in straight sets and Pokorna in three. 

“[DePaul] had a good atmosphere, good energy, and we just couldn’t match the energy,” Schmidt said. “But now I feel like we know what we need to work on, and it was kind of a wake-up call for us.”

Competing against top competition

At the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex, Iowa faced its steepest competition yet in Iowa State on Friday night. The Cyclones rank fourth nationally and feature a roster comprised of three nationally-ranked singles players and three nationally-ranked doubles teams. 

The top Hawkeye pairing of Hayashida and Mehra defeated the 39th-ranked Cyclone combo of senior Thesaporn Naklo and sophomore Anna Supapitch Kuearum, 6-1, including a shutout victory in game seven. 

That was the only win of the day for the Hawkeyes, who dropped the remaining two doubles matches and all four finished singles matches in the defeat. 

“In doubles at [court] number one, we fought really hard and won that pretty quickly,” Iowa assistant coach Elise van Heuvelen Treadwell said. “But it’s a matter of all seven of them out there, you know, just putting in the work every single point, every single game, and every single match. Keep that winning mentality, keep being aggressive, and going after these matches, keep getting after them.” 

Van Heuvelen Treadwell was filling in at the helm for Schmid during the Cy-Hawk match. The newly hired assistant played for five years with the Hawkeyes, earning first-team All-Big Ten five times. Friday was her time serving as head coach for her alma mater. 

“You do your duties, you do your rules exactly the same,” van Heuvelen Treadwell said. “We obviously miss Sasha, she’s a huge presence, a huge asset. So it’s a tough day for her not being able to be here, but there are girls on the court who are doing the job and we just couldn’t quite get the points on the board today.”

Doubles realignments 

Prior to the Feb. 11 match against St. Mary’s, the pairing of Hayashida and Mehra was Iowa’s third combination. With fifth-year senior Anya Lamoreaux out against the Gaels due to injury, the duo moved up to the second slot and earned a 7-5 victory. In the same slot against DePaul, the pair won, 6-4. 

Against Iowa State, the combo was moved up to No. 1 for the Hawkeyes, followed by Mannix and Kranholdt, then Lamoreaux and Pokorna. 

“[Hayashida and Mehra] have the best record on the team, that winning record, so, you know, I really feel like they’re confident and their results are really showing their quality play, so we trust them,” Schmid said.

Lamoreaux injury update

After not playing against St. Mary’s due to an inflamed right foot, Lamoreaux made her return in doubles competition against DePaul, playing an unfinished match with Schmidt. 

At practice on Wednesday, Schmid said Lamoreaux was still recovering and day-to-day. Two days later against Iowa State, the Utah transfer played doubles and singles. She and Pokorna lost, 6-2, while in singles Lamoreaux played on Court 6 and was defeated in straight sets by Cyclone Chie Kezuka. 

Up next 

The Hawkeyes will take a trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota for their next match, against the Wisconsin Badgers. The two Big Ten squads will face off on March 4 for a Saturday midday matchup at noon.

The Badgers are 9-2 on the season and are on a six-match winning streak heading into their March 3 matchup against Minnesota. This will be Iowa’s first conference dual of the season. 

The Hawkeyes will face the Gophers a day after the Badgers.