The dynamic duo of Liina Suurvarik and Alesia Mikalayeva lead the Illinois State womens tennis team into Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend when it takes on Indiana State Saturday, at 4 p.m. at the Evergreen Racquet Club.
As a doubles team, Mikalayeva and Suurvarik are 19-6 on the season and ranked No. 56 nationally. Individually, Mikalayeva is first on the Redbirds all-time career victories list with 87, and Suurvarik is third with 75.
The Redbirds were picked to finish first in the Valley along with Southwest Missouri State in the preseason coaches poll. Head coach Chris Hoover does not think there is any added pressure from being picked to finish first in the conference.
We think we are a talented group and we put pressure on ourselves to go out and win, Hoover said. We still have to go out and play the matches and put together our best effort.
This will be the Redbirds first of 10 conference matches that they are slated for this season. The Birds enter Saturdays match with a 6-7 record, including an impressive 4-3 win over Western Michigan, last Friday March 21.
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