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43 S enior Day celebrations are always meaningful, but add a little drama, dominance and historical significance, and it is going to mean a little more. e University of Iowa women's tennis team captured its first senior day win in four years when the No. 37 Hawkeyes topped No. 28 Nebraska on March 28, 4-2. Iowa rallied from a point down. e Hawkeyes got wins from a pair of seniors playing their final match at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex, and they collectively defeated their highest ranked opponent in 11 years. A long time coming, and a big tribute to the senior class. "We have four seniors on the team, which is quite a few," said junior Samantha Mannix, who clinched the match by rallying from a 5-1 deficit in the second set at the No. 3 singles spot. "It was amazing to be able to put a 'W' on the board. Years past we played on senior day and we lost the match, which didn't feel good by any means. It was nice to be able to put a win out for not only the team, but also the seniors for their last home match." e moment was a long time coming for Elise van Heuvelen. Iowa's lone senior in the 2020 class was expecting a senior day audience before COVID-19 canceled the season aer 12 matches, well before any possible celebration. e native of East Sussex, England, was fortunate to return in 2021, but again COVID prevented her family from attending. Instead, a cardboard audience of relatives filled the front row of the HTRC balcony seating. "None of my family has ever come and watched me play, so that was a nice touch," said van Heuvelen. "My mom and some other of my family were going to come last year for senior day, but because of COVID, that wasn't possible. ey are always watching from home, but it was a nice added touch for them to see me play in person." Van Heuvelen captured a win at the No. 2 position 6-4, 6-0, walking off her home court a winner for the final time. She is ranked fih all-time in singles wins (89) and ties for third all-time with 170 overall wins. Senior Danielle Bauers also le her home court a winner, pairing with Vipasha Mehra to win 6-5 at the No. 3 position. e duo is 5-2 in doubles at the No.3 position. "Obviously you want to pay tribute to the seniors in every way possible," said Iowa head coach Sasha Schmid. "e best way is to get a quality win against a top team in the league. I think it speaks about the direction of the team, and their confidence is growing and to keep the season going as long as possible." APRIL SCHEDULE April 9 at Rutgers April 11 at Maryland April 18 at Nebraska April 29-May 2 at Big Ten Championships Madison, Wisconsin