NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's tennis team will travel to Iowa to compete in its final two regular-season matches of the spring season Saturday, April 23, against Northern Iowa and Sunday, April 24, versus Drake before heading to the Missouri Valley Conference Team Championships April 29-May 1.
Saturday's matchup against Northern Iowa is set to get underway at 1 p.m. at the Byrnes Tennis Center, while Sunday's match versus Drake is set to get underway at 10 a.m. at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.
When Missouri Valley Conference foes UNI and ISU battle it out on the courts Saturday afternoon, it will be the 37th time since the 1982-83 season. The Redbirds lead the series 29-7. The Panthers are 4-14 overall and 1-4 in the MVC, with their lone win coming against Evansville this past weekend.
Sunday's competition marks the end of the regular season for both ISU and Drake. The Bulldogs currently hold a 12-11 overall record and are 2-3 in the MVC with wins over Evansville and Northern Iowa. The Redbirds are 20-17 all-time versus the Bulldogs since 1983-84. Before Drake hosts ISU Sunday, the Bulldogs will first face Bradley Saturday.
Last weekend the Redbirds split a pair of matches against No. 26 Wichita State and Missouri State to improve to 3-2 in the MVC and in sole possession of third place in the MVC standings. Despite falling to No. 26 Wichita State, 7-0, Marcia Tere-Apisah and Veronika Golanova upset the Shockers' No. 84 doubles team in No. 1 singles, 6-4. ISU bounced back during its final home match Sunday with a 6-1 victory over Missouri State. Seniors Kadi Ilves and Sarah Paulson both went undefeated on senior day to help the Redbirds come out on top over the Bears.
Saturday's match against Northern Iowa will take place at the Byrnes Tennis Center in Waterloo, Iowa, at 1 p.m. Sunday's contest versus Drake is scheduled to be held at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center in Des Moines, Iowa, at 10 a.m. Both contests are MVC matchups. For updates on ISU women's tennis throughout the weekend, follow them on Twitter: @RedbirdWTEN.Â
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