Head coach Chris Hoover is looking for the leadership of No. 1 doubles team Liina Suurvarik and Katri Miller to help the Illinois State womens tennis team on the road this weekend, as it goes up against Drake, Northern Iowa and Creighton.
Hoover feels that the Bulldogs pose the biggest threat to the Redbirds
Drake has been playing very well, Hoover said. They just played Southwest Missouri at Southwest and lost a close match 4-3, however Drake swept them in doubles. That worries me.
Drakes current record is 6-10 overall and 3-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. ISU owns a record of 10-3 overall and improved to 4-0 in the MVC after downing both Evansville and Southern Illinois, 7-0.
Suurvarik and Miller have won eleven consecutive doubles matches and will be looking to add three more this weekend. The No. 3 duo of Laura Gravino and Ashley Maxwell are also on a winning streak with six.
We really need Liina and Katri to step up early in doubles, Hoover said. Drakes No. 1 doubles team is playing really well right now and we need to be ready for them.
The Birds will travel to Des Moines, Iowa to take on Drake on Friday, April 9, at 3:30 p.m. They will then face off against the Panthers of UNI on Saturday at 1 p.m. and the Bluejays of CU on Easter Sunday at 10 a.m.
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