Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/781056
129 W hen they stepped on campus in the fall of 2014, University of Iowa men's tennis juniors Jake Jacoby, Josh Silverstein, and Leeris eodorou had two goals in mind: qualify for the ITA Kickoff and make it to the NCAA Tournament. On Jan. 28, they accomplished one of those goals by winning a match at the Kickoff. "Qualifying for the ITA Kickoff is ex- citing. We worked hard to get to this point," said Silverstein. "I believe it is the first step in making the NCAA Tournament, which is our ultimate goal." In order to make the ITA Kickoff, the Hawkeyes had to finish the previ- ous spring season ranked in the top 64 nationally. e last time an Iowa team competed at the event was in 2010. "[Head coach Ross Wilson] gives us a lot of op- portunities," said eodorou. "He schedules tough matches that put us in a position to win enough ranked matches and qualify for the NCAA Tour- nament." e team needs to finish the season with a win- ning record with between seven and nine wins over ranked opponents in order to accomplish the second goal. At the Kickoff, Iowa defeated a Texas Tech team that began the season ranked No. 23. Silverstein played a major role in that 4-3 decision. With the match tied, 3-3, Silverstein battled back from a 5-2 deficit in the third set to send the match into a tiebreak. e le-hander finished with a, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3), upset win over No. 25 Jolan Cail- leau for the Hawkeye triumph and a ceremonial dogpile from his teammates. His win was the first time a Hawkeye men's ten- nis player has defeated a top-25 opponent in more than a decade. "I was excited to pull off the win for my team. It's a good opportunity to gain momentum and a lot of confidence early in the season which will carry through into Big Ten play," said Silver- stein. But just making it to the tournament this year isn't good enough, says Wilson. "Accomplishing that goal in two years is great, but we're a group that has had some success nationally and it's not good enough for us to just be there," Wilson said. "ese guys see that we're at a level where we can compete with the teams that qualify for the event every year." With four top 25 opponents le on the schedule, the Hawkeyes have plenty of opportunities ahead of them. "It is great realizing that we've reached the same level as an elite group of teams," said Jacoby. "It means that we're doing what we need to be doing in order to make the goals we set for ourselves as freshmen a reality." FEBRUARY CALENDAR Feb. 3 Omaha Drake Feb. 5 Dartmouth Feb. 11 at Oregon Feb. 19 at Denver