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195 Y ou only get one first impression, and Uni- versity of Iowa women's tennis players Adorabol Huckleby and Kristen oms both made a good one. e Hawkeye freshmen were dominant in their respective debuts when Iowa opened the 2016 sea- son Jan. 30 at home against Missouri State. oms posted straight-set shutouts at the No. 3 singles position, 6-0, 6-0, and Huckleby nearly did the same at No. 6, winning 6-0, 6-1. For oms, it was an outing that made up for lost time. She missed most of the fall season with an ankle injury, and her return to the court was delayed by a case of mononucleosis. "I was just happy to be playing because I missed my fall season," oms said. "I was extremely nervous before that first match and hadn't won a match in eight months. Having my team back me up took the nerves away and I just played. It turned out great." For Huckleby, it was a matter of keeping a good thing going. She owned a 7-4 record in the fall, finishing the season with three straight wins and a flight championship at the Western Michigan Super Challenge. "I was really excited to get back on to the court aer the fall season," Huckleby said. "All I really want to do is play; go out there and support my team as best I can." Huckleby's first semester was one to remember. oms' was an experience she would probably rather forget. But despite their different experi- ences, both players moved forward with a similar approach. "When I went home over break I knew it would be a lot different than training in Iowa City and practicing with the team," Huckleby said. "I fig- ured it would be a lot less intense and team oriented, so I tried to hit with my friends as oen as I could. I also took a few lessons and tried to stay on top of my game as much as possible before the spring season." oms also went to work, and enjoyed every minute. "Missing all that time off the court made me want to play so much more," oms said. "I took the winter break to train hard. I would play about five hours of tennis and do about an hour of fitness every day. I knew I needed to make up for the time I missed in the fall." e offseason effort was not lost on UI head coach Katie Dougherty. "Everyone put in great work in the preseason and over the break," Dougherty said. "We have a ton of options with our lineup. Everyone did a fantastic job and I am proud of all of them." FEBRUARY SCHEDULE Feb. 5 vs. Eastern Michigan Feb. 7 vs. Marquette Feb. 13 vs. UMKC & Illinois State Feb. 20 at Oregon Feb. 21 at Oklahoma Feb. 26 vs. Northern Iowa Feb. 27 vs. Bradley