NORMAL, Ill. – After a long winter of work following a busy fall tournament schedule, the Illinois State women's tennis team will officially begin its spring 2022 dual meet slate this weekend in Iowa against North Dakota and host Iowa State.
The Redbirds will take on North Dakota on Friday at 1 p.m. and then face Iowa State on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Urbandale.
"We had some great practices coming into this weekend and our players are eager to get out there and compete," ISU head coach Maja Kovacek said. "There are always nerves and excitement in season openers and I'm expecting this group to be able to handle that well, bring great energy to doubles play and build from there."
After securing a second-straight Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title in 2021, Illinois State has been selected by league coaches as the favorite in the 2022 MVC preseason poll. The Redbirds return six letterwinners from last year's regular-season championship squad, and welcome in two newcomers this year. Sophomore Tijana Zlatanovic leads the group, after being named the MVC Player and Freshman of the Year last season. A four-time MVC Player of the Week selection during the 2021 season, Zlatanovic dominated at the No. 1 spot for the Redbirds going 17-5 overall including a 5-0 mark in MVC action. Senior Penelope Abreu also returns, after being named MVC All-Conference at the No. 5 singles position with a 13-7 overall record in 2021.
The fall was busy for the Redbirds, who competed in five tournaments including the 2021 MVC Individual Championships. That was a successful weekend for the Redbirds, who came away with four championships in the annual fall tournament. The duo Alexandra Abyasova and Laura Fitzgerald picked up a big win in Flight 3 doubles come away with the title on the first of the day for the Redbirds. Zlatanovic (Flight 1), Abreu (Flight 6) and Othilia Brodin (Flight 7) each won their singles finals matches to secure a total of four championships for the Redbirds. Zlatanovic and Abyasova capped off impressive fall seasons by advancing to the prestigious ITA Midwest Super Regional.
North Dakota was selected second in the Summit League preseason women's tennis poll. The selection is the highest for the program since moving to Division I after back-to-back postseason berths since joining the Summit League.
Iowa State enters the spring riding a 17-match home winning streak that dates back to the 2018-19 season. Their last loss came on April 12, 2019, when the Cyclones nearly upset No. 6 Texas but came up just short, losing 4-3. The 17-match streak is the longest in school history.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
