THIS WEEKEND IN PEACOCK TENNIS... The Upper Iowa University women's tennis team is scheduled to play on Saturday, Mar. 26, and Monday, Mar. 28, in the season's penultimate pair of matches. On Mar. 26, the Peacocks are prepped for an NSIC dual against Winona State University in Winona, Minn. at 1:30 p.m. Upper Iowa is then set for an intrastate matchup against NCAA DIII opponent Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa at 4:30 p.m. on Mar. 28.

LAST WEEKEND IN PEACOCK TENNIS... Upper Iowa went 2-0 as they swept a pair of NSIC duals in Winona, Minn. from Mar. 19-20. UIU started with a 4-3 win over St. Cloud State University on Mar. 19 before finishing the weekend with a 6-1 victory over the University of Minnesota Duluth on Mar. 20. With the sweep, the Peacocks improved to 8-5 (5-3 NSIC) and claimed sole possession of fifth place in the NSIC standings, breaking a four-way tie. Upper Iowa has three Northern Sun Conference matchups remaining and one non-conference dual on the schedule.

NISC PLAYER OF THE WEEK... Charalampia Grammatikaki earned Northern Sun Conference Player of the Week honors after finishing last weekend with a 2-0 record at No. 1 singles and a 2-0 mark at No. 2 doubles to help the Peacocks sweep the Huskies and Bulldogs. On Saturday, Mar. 19, she downed SCSU's Arisa Kashima 6-2, 6-0 at No. 1 singles in a tightly contested 4-3 team win. Grammatikaki and doubles partner Jessa Michieli won 6-0 over St. Cloud State in No. 2 doubles as the Peacocks swept all three doubles matches. On Sunday, Mar. 19, the Athens, Greece native defeated UMD's Shay Callaway 6-0, 6-1 in the top singles spot in a 6-1 team victory while also winning 6-1 at No. 2 doubles with Michieli. Overall, Grammatikaki won 36 of 40 games over the weekend and did not lose a set across four matches. The freshman improved to 9-0 at No. 1 singles in 2022, which is the NSIC's only undefeated mark in the top singles spot. On the 2021-22 season, Grammatikaki is 12-1 while playing each match in the top singles spot. She has compiled a 9-4 doubles record, and her 7-2 overall mark when paired with Michieli is tied for the seventh-best winning percentage in the NSIC. The duo is a perfect 4-0 at No. 2 doubles and is 6-2 against NSIC competition.

JESS(A) DO IT... Jessa Michieli went 4-0 over UIU's weekend sweep with a 2-0 mark at No. 3 singles and a 2-0 mark at No. 2 doubles. The sophomore is 4-4 against NSIC competition and has won six of her last ten singles matches. In doubles, the Duncan, British Columbia native leads UIU with five wins at the No. 1 spot and is a perfect 4-0 in No. 2 singles matches. She is 9-4 overall in doubles to tie Grammatikaki for UIU's third-best doubles mark.

NOT SO LONG AGO, IN A GALAXY NOT SO VARVARA-WAY... Varvara Ogorodnikova has notched a 10-2 singles record thanks to a 3-1 mark at No. 2 singles and a 7-1 record in the No. 3 spot. The sophomore is 6-1 against NSIC competitors, 8-1 (one DNF) in her last ten matches, and has won six straight. Her 7-1 singles record in 2022 is tied for the NSIC's seventh-best singles mark, and her 5-1 record at No. 3 is number two in the conference. Ogorodnikova went 2-0 in the No. 2 singles spot after moving up last weekend, and she has gone 3-1 in No. 1 doubles in four matches since moving up from No. 2 with partner Lina Ziani. Ogorodnikova and Ziani tie for the Peacock lead with matching 10-3 doubles records as the duo has gone 9-3 overall, including a 3-1 clip at No. 1 and a 6-2 mark at No. 2. The Peacock pair's 4-1 clip in No. 2 doubles in 2022 is good for the NSIC's second-best winning percentage, behind only Winona State's Sara Anderson and Beth Murman (13-0).

WITHSTANDING THE WARRIORS... This season, Winona State holds a 12-3 record and is 7-1 in NSIC contests, the conference's second-best mark. The Warriors went 2-0 last weekend after besting St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth by 5-2 and 6-1, respectively. WSU's individuals have combined for a 58-31 record in singles play and a 32-12 doubles mark. Sara Anderson leads the Warriors with a 12-3 singles record, going 10-3 at No. 4 and 2-0 at No. 5. Rachel Kelly is 9-4 in No. 1 singles and 2-0 in the No. 2 spot, while Beth Murman is 0-2 at No. 1 and 10-3 at No. 2. Murman and Anderson have combined for a perfect 13-0 record at No. 2 doubles, while Kelly and Rina Neihoff are 10-4 at No. 1 doubles and 1-0 at No. 2. The Warriors hold a 12-5 edge in the all-time series against the Peacocks, including wins in the last five meetings. WSU beat UIU 4-3 earlier this season in a non-conference contest on Oct. 1, 2021. Grammatikaki (No. 1), Ogorodnikova (No. 3), and Ziani (No. 4) secured singles wins while Ogorodnikova and Ziani won at No. 2 doubles, but some tight doubles matches that went WSU's way gave them the edge.

KNOCKING OFF THE KNIGHTS... Wartburg College has gone 11-12 (4-4 ARC) this season. The NCAA DIII Knights are coming off a weekend in which they fell 5-4 against the University of Northwestern (MN) on Mar. 19 before besting the University of Wisconsin - Rivers Falls 6-3 later that day. WC's individuals have combined for a 64-71 record in singles play and a 38-29 doubles mark. Natalie Kaiser leads the Knights with a 14-7 singles record that includes a 9-5 mark in the No. 2 spot. Meadow LaDuke is 11-6 overall and 8-6 in No. 1 singles, while Georgia Nissen is 9-6, including a 4-0 mark at No. 5 singles. Kaiser and LaDuke have formed Wartburg's best doubles pairing, going 10-6 thanks to an 8-6 mark at No. 1 doubles and a 2-0 clip in the No. 2 spot. The all-time series between the intrastate rivals is knotted at 3-3, but the Knights bested the Peacocks 5-4 last season on Mar. 22, 2021 in the teams' last meeting. Michieli (No. 1), Ogorodnikova (No. 2), and Ziani (No. 3) won their singles matches while Ogorodnikova and Ziani won at No. 2 doubles, but Wartburg won the five other contests to clinch the team win.

LOOKING AHEAD... The Peacocks have a week off before returning for their final weekend of regular-season action from Apr. 9-10. Upper Iowa will head to Sioux Falls, S.D. to face the University of Sioux Falls at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 9, before a matchup against Augustana University at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, Apr. 10. After the conclusion of the regular season, the NSIC's top eight teams will face off in Minneapolis, Minn. from Apr. 22-23, in the 2022 NSIC Women's Tennis Tournament.