THIS WEEK:
Iowa returns to action this weekend starting with a doubleheader on Friday in the state of Ohio against Dayton and No. 3 Ohio State. Iowa will then travel to University Park, Pennsylvania, to take on 48th-ranked Penn State on Sunday to close out the road trip.
LAST WEEKEND RECAP:
• Iowa defeated Northwestern, 4-1 giving the Hawkeyes their second conference win.
• In two matches against South Dakota State, all six Hawkeyes won in straight sets in singles competition.
DAYTON PREVIEW:
• The Flyers enter Friday’s match with a 15-3 overall record; winners of four of their last five.
• Dayton’s No. 1 singles player, junior Jordan Benjamin, is a perfect 14-0 this season.
• Iowa leads the all-time series over Dayton, 2-0. The Hawkeyes last defeated the Flyers, 6-0, on April 1, 2016, in Dayton.
#3 OHIO STATE PREVIEW:
• Ohio State enters Friday’s match 18-2 overall. The Buckeyes will compete at Kentucky on Wednesday before hosting the Hawkeyes.
• The Buckeyes have won six straight matches, boasting a perfect 5-0 record in Big Ten play.
• Mikael Torpegaard, JJ Wolf, and John McNally are all ranked in the ITA Top 80.
• The Buckeyes lead the all-time series over the Hawkeyes, 36-24.
#48 PENN STATE PREVIEW:
• The Nittany Lions (11-9, 1-4) enter Sunday’s match losers of three straight, with Nebraska on deck Saturday.
• Penn State owns a perfect 7-0 record this season at home.
• The Nittany Lions leads the all-time series over Iowa, 19-12. Iowa’s last victory over Penn State came on March 27, 2011 (4-3).
HAWKEYE NOTEABLES:
• Freshmen Joe Tyler leads the Hawkeyes with four wins in Big Ten play.
• Iowa has not lost a doubles match on court three since March 2.
• Iowa is 16-5 in singles matches played on court four this season.
• Jake Jacoby moved up to ninth place in career doubles wins at Iowa with 56.
DOUBLES SUCCESS:
• The Hawkeyes boast two top rated tandems in the country: No. 51 Jonas Larsen/Kareem Allaf and No. 62 Piotr Smietana/Will Davies.
• Freshmen Will Davies and Piotr Smietana have won 13 of their last 15 decisions.
STARTING MATCHES STRONG:
Iowa has earned the doubles point in 16 of 21 matches. The Hawkeyes lost the doubles point to No. 4 Georgia by a narrow margin, dropping courts one and two in tiebreakers. Jonas Larsen and Kareem Allaf are 11-6 on court one in doubles, registering four wins over ranked opponents this season, including picking up a pair of wins over ranked foes last weekend (Illinois and Northwestern).
FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES:
Fans can follow the Hawkeyes all season long and receive live match updates on Facebook (facebook.com/IowaMensTennis) and Twitter (@IowaMensTennis). Fans can also get a behind the scene look on Instagram (iowamenstennis).