Feb. 7, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State's women's tennis team (0-2) is headed back on the road to Indianapolis, Ind., where the Redbirds will compete against the Butler Bulldogs (0-4) and the IUPUI Jaguars (0-2). The two-day tour will begin with the Bulldogs Friday, and conclude Saturday with the Jaguars, in the Butler Bubble.
The `Birds competed in Lincoln, Neb., last week, and lost both matches against host Nebraska and the Colorado State. Despite last week's losses, head coach Chris Hoover has good expectations for the upcoming matches.
"We are hoping to even up our record with these upcoming matches. Butler has always been great competition for us, and I am expecting the same for this match," said Hoover. "As for IUPUI, I know they just hired a new head coach, so they are probably still adjusting. Either way, our main goal is to even up our record before we compete against UNLV and Oklahoma State. Those will be pretty difficult matches."
Sophomore Julia Zubkova started the spring season at the No.1 doubles position, and will compete with senior Katri Miller. Senior Véronique Parke-Bédard will compete with freshman Katie O'Riley at the No. 2 spot.
"I really believe that Julia and Katri's talents will be formally matched against the competition we face, while Véronique's experience will hopefully help Katie develop as a player," said Hoover.
