By Blake Dowson
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The improvement for Hawkeye men’s tennis was substantial last season. There was a different vibe at home matches. There was fight in every player, 1 through 6. For the first time in years, it felt as if the Hawkeyes were never really out of a match.
Yet for everyone involved with the team, it was simply one step in the direction the players and coaches foresee the program heading.
“Now we have a taste of ending the season in the rankings,” sophomore Jake Jacoby said. “But we can’t be satisfied with that. Especially with a bunch of new guys on the team.”
Jacoby was part of a youth movement for the Hawkeyes last year under first-year head coach Ross Wilson, and it won more matches than the team had in 23 years.
He, along with Josh Silverstein, Stieg Martens, and Lefteris Theodorou, combined for 51 of the team’s 72 singles victories as freshmen last season.
“To get where we want to be, the sophomore group needs to make a jump,” Wilson said. “Our transfer player from Mississippi State will be huge for us as well, coming from a top-20 team with a winning culture.”
In that transfer player, Robin Haden, the Hawkeyes have picked up a player who had a 10-8 record for the Bulldogs last season in the No. 6 singles position. Haden will have two years of eligibility at Iowa.
The Hawkeyes are trending upward, touting a dominant sophomore class with a year of experience and a senior in Dom Patrick who is ready to lead the team.
“Dom is a guy who has been here for three years,” Wilson said. “He’s a senior now with a lot of experience. He knows how I want things done, and he’s a great positive influence on the guys.”
Iowa is headed in the right direction, and changing the culture of the program is one thing. But knocking off ranked opponents in the Big Ten is another.
Wilson said the work put in this summer and the tournaments scheduled for this fall will play an important role in developing the Hawkeyes into a conference power.
“Everyone played over the summer, and most of them spent time in Iowa City improving their game,” Wilson said. “I think Dom played in three tournaments, and he made it to the finals of all three.
“This fall will be huge for us. We’re playing in a ton of big tournaments, and before you know it, it’s January.”
Lofty goals set last season by the young Hawkeyes don’t seem so lofty this year, and rankings that at one point were only a dream could be in range.
Jacoby said setting goals for this year is the first step in making real improvements.
“Setting high, achievable goals is good to do,” he said. “You have to know what the expectations are. You can’t just say, ‘I want to get better.’ It has to be tangible.
“We want four people in the main draw of the ITA Regionals this fall. We want a singles and a doubles championship in the Big Ten Tournament this fall. And we know we can do it.”
Follow @B_Dows4 for news, updates, and analysis on the Iowa men’s tennis team.
