HANOVER, NH -- The University of Iowa men's tennis team made program history Saturday afternoon with a 4-3 win over No. 14 Dartmouth at the Boss Tennis Center. Not only did the win extend Iowa’s win streak to five but the Hawkeyes recorded the highest ranked victory in school history.
For the fifth straight match and ninth time this season, Iowa won the doubles point. Will Davies and Piotr Smietana scored the first doubles victory, 6-3, on court two. Kareem Allaf and Jonas Larsen fought back to take down Dartmouth’s 17th-ranked tandem, 7-5 to clinch the point. The win was Allaf/Larsen’s fourth straight win, dating back to Feb. 11.
Iowa dropped the first two singles matches, Joe Tyler and Smietana, on courts three and two, respectively. Allaf won his fourth consecutive singles match to even the match at 2-2 with a 6-4, 6-4 decision over Ciro Riccardi. Dartmouth registered its final point when Larsen lost, 6-3, 6-3, on court five.
Josh Silverstein and Davies forced third sets in their matches and ultimately prevailed to give Iowa its sixth win of the season. Davies trailed 4-2 in the third set on court six before scoring the final four points over Casey Ross. Silverstein trailed Charlie Broom, 5-1, in the second set on court one before winning six straight points to force a third set. The New York native carried the momentum to the third set, posting a 7-5 win the match for the Black and Gold. Silverstein improved to 5-0 in three-set matches as a senior.
BY THE NUMBERS
Iowa beat Dartmouth for the second consecutive season. The Hawkeyes beat the Big Green by the identical score, 4-3, last February in Iowa City. NEXT MATCHThe Hawkeyes return home to host Cornell on Friday at 5 p.m. (CT) at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex in Iowa City. Admission is free to the public. QUOTING HEAD COACH ROSS WILSON“We had a great effort by our guys today. We were two points away from losing the match and then an hour and a half later we ended up winning the match, 4-3.”
QUOTING FRESHMAN WILL DAVIES
"To get the biggest win in Iowa's history, on the road, is something extremely special. I'm so happy for this team, we deserved it, and it's a great way to continue our win streak heading into our upcoming matches."
QUOTING SENIOR JOSH SILVERSTEIN
"This was an amazing win for the team.”
Iowa 4, #14 Dartmouth 3Feb. 24, 2018 | Noon (CT) | Hanover, NH | Boss Tennis Center Singles 1. Josh Silverstein (UI) def. Charlie Broom (DU): 4-6, 7-5, 7-52. Dave Horneffer (DU) def. Piotr Smietana (UI): 6-2, 6-33. Max Fliegner (DU) def. Joe Tyler (UI): 6-3, 6-4 4. Kareem Allaf (UI) def. Ciro Riccardi (DU): 6-4, 6-45. Peter Conklin (DU) def. Jonas Larsen (UI): 6-3, 6-36. Will Davies (UI) def. Casey Ross (DU): 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 Doubles 1. Allaf/Larsen (UI) def. #17 Broom/Horneffer (DU): 7-52. Smietana/Davies (UI) def. Glasnovic/Ross (DU): 6-43. Conklin/Fliegner (DU) def. Tyler/Jacoby (UI): 6-0 Match Notes:Iowa: 6-5#14 Dartmouth: 12-1Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (2,3,4,5,6,1)