USTA grant funding helps elevate University of Iowa's indoor tennis facility

The University of Iowa Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex recently had a facelift to the tune of $99,700. Of that total, $49,850 came from USTA national and $3,500 came from USTA Missouri Valley to resurface the eight indoor tennis courts. A check presentation for the USTA Tennis Venue Services grant funding was held Oct. 28.

“We are so excited about how they look and how they play,” said Sasha Boros, University of Iowa women’s tennis head coach. “We even had the chance to put a new Hawkeye graphic in the middle of the courts, and it looks fantastic.”

Boros said the team is grateful to the USTA Missouri Valley for the generous contribution. She said the team loves the new courts, as do the community members who participate in tennis programming. It’s been 11 years since they were last resurfaced, and they had gotten too slick.

"They now are back to a medium speed, which is going to be really helpful for our team, especially as we transition in mid-March to outdoor tennis,” Boros said. “I think that transition will be much easier for us now that the indoor courts are resurfaced. It won’t be such a drastic change to go from very quick indoor courts to a slower-paced outdoor tennis match.”

Boros hopes the team can build on the success and confidence from last season. The Hawkeyes finished No. 35 in the nation in the final ITA collegiate rankings and qualified for the NCAA tournament.

In October the tennis team, along with other University of Iowa women’s teams, partnered with Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity to help build affordable housing. This is a volunteer project the tennis team does every year.

“It’s a wonderful community project that we love being a part of,” Boros said. “The team really takes pride in learning some new skills and working on the house to allow for a family in our community to have a home.”

The Hawkeyes will have their home opener at the new indoor courts against the University of Texas on Jan. 30.

Learn more about USTA Tennis Venue Services by clicking here.