NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's tennis team (7-2) is on the road again as it travels to Chicago, Illinois to square off against No. 53 DePaul Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Lakeshore Sport & Fitness Center.
"Saturday's match against DePaul will be the first ranked opponent we have faced this season," head coach Maja Kovacek said. "We will need to be at the top of our game. It's exciting to play a ranked team to help us see how we stack up."
During their last time out, the Redbirds fell to SIUE, 5-2 (Feb. 28). The No. 1 doubles team of Marcia Tere-Apisah and Veronika Golanova tallied the lone doubles win for ISU, defeating their opponent, 7-5. The win helped Tere-Apisah and Golanova improve to an undefeated 4-0 record as a doubles team. In singles action, Jana Kustkova and Tere-Apisah earned wins for the Redbirds; however, it was not enough to help ISU earn its eighth victory of the season. Despite losing on the road to SIUE, the Redbirds remain undefeated at home (5-0).
Saturday's matchup against No. 53 DePaul marks the 20th time that the Redbirds and Blue Demons have battled it out on the courts; however, it will be the first time ISU will face DePaul in a dual under Kovacek. Since 1978-79 the Redbirds are 9-10 against DePaul. This past weekend No. 53 DePaul (5-6) split a pair of matches, losing to Indiana 5-2 but then sweeping Milwaukee, 7-0.
Saturday's match will take place at the Lakeshore Sport & Fitness Center in Chicago, Illinois, at 2 p.m. For updates on ISU women's tennis, follow them on Twitter: @RedbirdWTEN.Â
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