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57 W ith spring break in the rearview mirror, it's time for the University of Iowa men's ten- nis team to focus on two things: Big Ten competition and playing outdoors. Conference duals will occur no matter what, but playing outside remains to be seen. Cold and rainy weather has pushed a few outdoor events indoors, but the team is ready to make the transition outside. e move to playing outdoors isn't as simple as step- ping outside and being ready to play. ere are a number of adjustments in playing outdoors, with the elements being a big one. "ere is going to be the sun to deal with, the wind af- fecting the flight of the ball, and the temperature," said UI assistant coach Ross Wilson. "In some of these Big Ten matches it will be 50 or 60 degrees outside, so the ball won't fly through the air as fast as it does indoors." e weather, paired with texture of the court, makes for a different style of play. Both the indoor and out- door courts were resurfaced at the start of the school year to ensure that the courts were in top form for the team to play on. While both courts are surfaced to be the same speed, the consistency of the outdoor courts drastically changes the game. "Once the outdoor courts get resurfaced, they are a little grittier, which means the ball will bounce more and sit there as opposed to an indoor court where a ball will bounce forward and through the court," said Wilson. "It will come to you slower, so you will have to move your feet. You could get stuck on the court because it won't be as slick as an indoor court, and the pace of the game will slow down." "Indoor play is a lot faster," said senior Joey White. "You can put balls away easily and win points quickly. Outdoor play, especially outdoor singles matches, features longer points. ere is a lot more fitness required and you have to focus on how you structure your points. e indoor game has a lot of bang-bang points that happen quickly, while outdoors requires a lot more thought in a given point." Despite differences, the strategy involved remains the same. e team won't abandon its style of play that has led them to a successful start of the 2014 campaign. e Hawkeyes will continue to play their style of ten- nis, knowing that things will develop longer than it would indoors. With the Hawkeyes already surpassing their win total from a year ago, Wilson sees a chance for the team to be even better once it hits the outdoor courts full time, especially in singles action. With four players that Wilson feels are better suited for the slower pace of outdoor play, the Hawkeyes could see an increase in production out of their singles players. Senior Jonas Dierckx appears to be one of the Hawk- eyes set to benefit the most from the outdoor play. Growing up in Belgium, Dierckx trained on clay courts, which are naturally slow. His style of play has been shaped around grinding out long matches and wearing his opponent down. "I'm used to playing on clay so I've grown up playing long matches," said Dierckx. "I like playing in those matches and having long rallies. My serve is not that big so it helps me a lot because a big server can win a lot of free points off me during an indoor match. Mov- ing outside will neutralize their serve and allow me to be in more points and play more balls." e Hawkeyes are ready to take on the elements and challenges of the outdoor season... if the weather will allow them the chance. Men's Tennis Ready for Change of Scenery By DAN WALLACE