The Iowa women’s tennis team finished the weekend with a 1-1 record, defeating Purdue, 4-0, on March 31, then two days later falling to Indiana, 4-2. 

These two duals completed the Hawkeyes’ four-match homestand, where the Black and Gold went 3-1. At the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex. Iowa is now 8-7 on the season and 3-2 in conference play.

Upsetting the Boilermakers 

The 57th-ranked Hawkeyes completed a dominant victory over the 47th-ranked Boilermakers, taking the doubles point and then three straight-set victories in singles to extend their match win streak to three. 

In doubles, Iowa earned a 6-3 victory from the new No. 1 pair of fifth-year senior Samantha Mannix and junior Vipasha Mehra, as well as an identical win from the new No. 2 combo of sophomore Marisa Schmidt and freshman Daianne Hayashida. The Hawkeyes’ No. 3 duo of sophomore Barbora Pokorna and freshman Pia Kranholdt dropped its match, 6-2. 

In singles, Iowa earned wins from Hayashida on Court 3, Mehra on Court 4, and Kranholdt on Court 6. The singles win was Kranholdt’s third consecutive victory. 

“We know [Purdue] is a confident team and I was really happy with our ability to win the doubles point, which was something that we really worked hard on in practice this week,” Iowa head coach Sasha Schmid said after the match. “It was nice to be able to go into singles with the lead. But with that being said, singles is always tough so it felt like we competed hard on all six courts.”

In perhaps the most anticipated singles matchup, Mannix dropped her first set against Boilermaker senior and 2022 All-Big Ten first-team member Csilla Fodor, 7-6. The pair were knotted at three games apiece in the second set when Iowa clinched the match. 

Disappointment against Indiana 

Pokorna and Kranholdt set the tone early for the Hawkeyes in their first outdoor match of the spring against the Hoosiers. The No. 3 doubles pairing for the Black and Gold defeated Indiana’s Mila Mejic and Xiaowei “Rose” Hu by a score of 6-0. 

Mannix and Mehra followed up that win with their own 6-4 doubles victory, giving Iowa an early lead for the second time in two matches. 

This time, however, the Hawkeyes just couldn’t execute in singles. 

While Mannix earned a three-set victory (6-3, 2-6, 6-2) over the Hoosiers’ Saby Nihalani, Iowa dropped four singles matches, three of which were in straight-sets.  

In her battle against Indiana sophomore and 2022 All-Big Ten honoree Lara Schneider, Schmidt lost her first set, 6-2. Then in the second set, the Hawkeyes’ No. 1 singles player lost a ten-point tiebreaker to fall, 7-6. 

“It was a hard-fought, difficult battle today with Indiana,” Schmid said. “Got to give Indiana credit for being able to step up and be tough in some important moments in the singles portion of the match. No doubt disappointing for our group.” 

According to the official Intercollegiate Tennis Association Rulebook, sustained winds must be less than 20 miles per hour for play to occur outdoors. Hayashida, who was ahead in her third set when Indiana clinched, said even though she is used to outdoor competition, the winds still impacted her play. 

“I’m from Peru and I always play outside [because] we don’t have these winters,” Hayashida said. “On one side [of the court] the ball was flying more … and on the other, I had to hit with all my strength [to get] the ball [over the net], but then I was used to it and I think all of us [got used to it].” 

New Doubles Pairings 

Iowa fifth-year senior Anya Lamoreaux did not play in either match this weekend. The Utah transfer was in attendance for the match against the Hoosiers but has not played for the Hawkeyes since Feb. 24 due to illness, missing the past seven matches. 

RELATED: Iowa women’s tennis adjusts to fifth-year Anya Lamoreaux’s absence

In her absence, Iowa has created new doubles teams, and this weekend, the Hawkeyes experimented further. In the Hawkeyes’ first five matches without Lamoreaux, Mannix, and Schmidt have been the top combination, followed by Mehra and Hayashida in the second slot, while the No. 3 spot has been Pokorna and Kranholdt. 

While the third combination has remained the same, Schmid chose to pair Mannix with Mehra in the top spot and introduce Schmidt as Hayashida’s new partner at No. 2. 

“I think we were good together, I like to play with Marisa,” Hayashida said. “She has a really good serve and that sets me up very well to the volleys.”

Mannix and Mehra went 2-0 over the weekend while Schmidt and Hayashida are 1-0 with an unfinished match against Indiana. 

Up Next

The Hawkeyes’ next match is on the road against conference foe Penn State on April 7. The Nittany Lions are 10-9 on the season and 2-3 in Big Ten play coming off a shutout win over Indiana on March 26.