Sooners Head to Hawkeye State with Momentum

NORMAN, Okla. – The 33^rd-ranked Oklahoma women's tennis team will travel to the Hawkeye State this weekend to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes Friday, Feb. 20 and open Big 12 play against the Iowa State Cyclones on Sunday, Feb. 22. The Sooners are coming off a successful weekend at home that included two wins over ITA Top 40 opponents.

The match with the Hawkeyes is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and its match against the Cyclones will begin at 9 a.m.

Oklahoma continues to get spectacular play from its freshman class, which has combined for a 19-5 singles record in matches at the No. 1, No.2, No. 5, and No. 6 positions.

Junior Zita Engbroks will look to ride a wave of momentum into the weekend after a dominant win at No. 6 against Wichita State Saturday and an impressive response to a 6-0 first set loss to beat Tulsa at the same position.

“Zita is maybe the most improved tennis player I have ever coached to be honest,” said Mullins. “She has a lot of self belief and that is what has put her in this position. I think, going forward, she is really going to do more of the same and keep getting better.”

This weekend's opponents matched up on Feb. 6 in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes defended their home court with a 4-1 win over the Cyclones and extended their lead in the all-time series to 35-0. The Sooners beat both teams last season by a combined score of 13-1, but Mullins expects to see improved squads on both sides. The Hawkeyes and Cyclones enter the weekend with a combined record of 6-3.

“I have a lot higher level of comfortability being on the road with this young group,” said Mullins. “We need to expect the tennis and be prepared for whatever comes our way but also believe that we are the superior team and that if we play the way we are capable of playing that we really should win at a lot of spots.”

Sunday's match against Iowa State marks the beginning of Big 12 play for both schools. Oklahoma finished 6-3 in conference play last season and tied for third with Texas and Texas Tech.

The Opponents

Iowa: 4-1

Conference: Big Ten

Series Record: 3-0 (Last Meeting: 2014, OU 6-1)

ITA Ranking: N/A

Ranked Players: N/A

Iowa State: 2-2

Conference: Big 12

Series Record: 38-1 (Last Meeting: 2014, OU 7-0)

ITA Ranking: N/A

Ranked Players: N/A

Looking Ahead

The Sooners return home for their second back-to-back weekend in a three week stretch. Oklahoma will play Southern Methodist on Saturday, Feb. 28 before a Bedlam matchup with No. 13 Oklahoma State on Sunday, March 1. Both matches will take place at noon. Sunday's match against Oklahoma State will not count towards Big 12 play.