It’s that time of year again, when winter slowly vanishes, and the leaves on trees start to grow. But winter isn’t the only thing ready to disappear — so is the Iowa women’s tennis team’s nonconference schedule. It will close today against Iowa State at 4 p.m. in Des Moines.

This matchup is not like any other nonconference game. This one features the Iowa State Cyclones, the Black and Gold’s in-state rival. And although the competition has not always been great between the two teams, with the Hawkeyes dominating the all-time series 36-0, the Cyclones will seek some revenge.

Iowa head coach Sasha Schmid will try to get her team above .500 on the road for the first time this season; it sits at 3-3 away from the Hawkeye Tennis Complex. But even though the Hawkeyes have not won back-to-back road matches all season, she believes this week’s matchup against the Cyclones can put them back on track as Big Ten play nears.

“We are really looking forward to a great match with Iowa State,” Schmid said. “It’s always special for the state when we get an Iowa State versus Iowa matchup. It will be a great competitive match for us.”

One key to victory for the Hawkeyes will be the duo of sophomore Elise van Heuvelen and senior Anastasia Reimchen. On Tuesday, the International Tennis Association ranked the duo 49th in the Division 1 Doubles for the first time this year. The new ranking came in after the duo went 2-0 last weekend, with one win coming against a top-15 opponent.

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Despite the new ranking, van Heuvelen believes last week’s win over ranked opponents is nothing more than a confidence boost heading into the matchup against Iowa State.

“Just getting confidence from those two wins last week was huge,” she said. “I want to keep everything the same, and not trying to do anything extra.”

And that’s exactly what assistant coach Daniel Leitner wants the team to do — nothing extra.

He has had the team prepare as for any other match, with players focusing on their game and how they play. He believes that if the Hawkeyes center on themselves, rather than the opponent, they will have a good chance to win.

Iowa will need a strong showing against the Cyclones to pick up momentum; Big Ten play starts just one week away at Penn State in University Park on March 14.