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119 N ot acceptable but not surprising. at's one way to look at the first six weeks of the University of Iowa women's tennis season. On one hand, Iowa is a perfect eight-for-eight at home against teams it has historically fared well against. On the other, Iowa is winless in three road matches, all against nationally ranked opponents. UI head coach Katie Dougherty said the home schedule allowed her young team to gain experience and confidence. e trick now is to turn those factors into a winning formula. "Our three losses are against ranked teams, but we've had opportunities," Dougherty said. "We've had leads we haven't been able to close out, and we've put ourselves in good positions a number of times, but haven't been able to shut the door." Seven of Iowa's 10 players are freshmen and sophomores, and an eighth player, junior Natalee Looney transferred to Iowa from South Carolina. at equated to a lot of early season learning. Dougherty was learning new faces. Many of the players were learning a new campus, and with four freshmen, a new way of life. e early season success at home helped ease those growing pains, and Dougherty said the competition within the team is healthy and as strong as it's been in her seven seasons. "We have a lot of new faces and our schedule at home allowed us to get a number of different people in the lineup and have their shot," she said. "We've seen great things out of younger players and our transfer, Natalie Looney, has done a great job stepping into the lineup. "We have a lot of options. We have more depth than we've ever had which is a great thing; a very great thing heading into the Big Ten season." Iowa lost, 5-2, at No. 69 Nebraska in its Big Ten opener, but there are still 10 conference matches remaining, and the Hawkeyes continue to get better with time. "From the middle of August to late November we made a big jump, and I have seen even more improvement through the first part of the schedule," Dougherty said. "We're about half way through, and I've seen huge jumps both individually and as a team." e Hawkeyes have a first-timer playing at the top of the lineup. Sophomore Anastacia Reimchen opened the season at No. 1 singles, and she's held the position in all but one of Iowa's matches. "at is certainly a highlight," Dougherty said. "Remchein stepped into that No. 1 spot and has done a good job. ere are no easy days at No. 1, and she gives us a chance every time." e Hawkeyes are also strong in the middle of the lineup with sophomore Zoe Douglas and senior Annette Dohanics. "Zoe has made an impressive jump," Dougherty said. "She's ranked in the top 100 and playing near the top in singles and doubles. Netty (Dohanics) is also doing a great job. She's the lone senior and she leads by example. She's a hard worker and she grinds out there. "at's what we need to be able to do: work hard and close out sets. Close out the close matches, and shut the door." MARCH SCHEDULE March 5 at Illinois-Chicago March 6 at DePaul March 12 at Indiana March 16 at South Florida March 20 Maryland March 25 Wisconsin March 27 Minnesota