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Men���s Tennis Off to Fast Start By Jimmy Novak T he University of Iowa men���s tennis team is gaining confidence early on during the spring season. With a 6-2 record, the Hawkeyes are off to their best start since 2009-10. After falling to Illinois State in its spring opener, Iowa has rallied back to win six matches in a row. ���I���m very pleased with our strong start,��� UI head coach Steve Houghton said. ���We���re 6-2 and improving week by week, both individually and team-wise. We���re gaining confidence and will need it as we have some really strong opponents coming up.��� Since the Hawkeyes took down Loyola Marymount, 5-2, for their first win of the season on Jan. 27, they haven���t looked back. The road for the Hawkeyes didn���t get much easier moving forward as their next four matches came in a pair of two dual meet double headers held at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex. The Hawkeyes saw similar success in their second doubleheader of the season as they earned a pair of victories over Creighton and Butler. Iowa defeated both schools 7-0, which marked their third consecutive match where they earned the clean sweep. So far this spring season, junior Jonas Dierckx and senior Garret Dunn have highlighted the Hawkeyes success. Dierckx and Dunn have identical records posting both 6-1 records in singles play; Dierckx is 6-0 in doubles, Dunn is 5-1. ���Everyone has been playing pretty well so far this spring which has helped give us the early success that we���ve seen,��� senior Garret Dunn said. ���The matches are only going to get tougher from here on out so it���s going to be very important for guys to stay focused and not get ahead of ourselves as we move into the busier part of the season.��� Iowa faced off against Bradley and Western Illinois in their first doubleheader of the season and cruised to two decisive victories. Iowa defeated Bradley, 5-2, in the first match of the doubleheader then beat Western Illinois, 7-0, in the night cap. 61