ISU tennis’ 2013-14 season was a roller coaster ride, and that ride went just about everywhere. It stretched from Florida to Oklahoma to West Virginia and wound up in Texas for the Big 12 conference tournament.

The ISU tennis team (9-14, 1-9 Big 12) had its fair share of ups and downs on the court as well, as the Cyclones came sprinting out of the gate to a 6-2 start despite spending four consecutive weekends on the road.

Iowa State’s season turned for the worse when at 8-4, the Cyclones squared off with familiar foe Drake, who marched into Ames with a national ranking.

It was a hard-fought battle and Iowa State’s longest meet of the season, lasting for more than five hours. Drake eventually claimed victory by a score of 5-2 and when the final point was called, the Cyclones were all visibly exhausted.

A young team that rotated three freshman in and out of the starting lineup throughout the year also battled injuries. Freshman and No. 2 singles player Samantha Budai found herself going back and forth from the bench to the court with one ailment or another.

Led by junior and No. 1 singles player Ksenia Pronina, Iowa State dove headfirst into the gauntlet of the Big 12, which was one of the best tennis conferences in the country in 2014.

For nine straight weeks including the Drake matchup, the Cyclones were pitted against ranked opponents, many of which had spent time in the top 25.

And so came the lower points of Iowa State’s season. Match after match, meet after meet, the Cyclones fell to their conference rivals.

Different women stepped up on different weekends, and all of the rotation players claimed at least one conference victory, save for the sole senior on the squad, Emma Waites.

Budai returned to form, winning two matches down the stretch. Freshman and No. 6 singles player Talisa Merchiers was on the team from the beginning of the year, but due to cutting her foot with glass, she was sidelined for the first few weeks of the team season.

She finished strong, however, nabbing three conference victories in the singles format — the highest mark posted by any player sporting the red and gold in 2014.

The Cyclones put a tally in the win column in the last regular season meet of the season against West Virginia.

Budai said it provided a confidence boost heading into the Big 12 tournament, where Iowa State was set to meet Kansas, which had previously routed the Cyclones 6-1.

Kansas again proved too much for Iowa State and the match was called 4-1, ending the Cyclone season.

Iowa State will only lose two players for the 2014-15 season — Waites graduated in the spring and freshman Lydia Green decided to transfer.

The upperclassmen leaders in next year’s campaign will be Pronina and No. 3 singles player Meghan Cassens, who will each be entering the final year of their collegiate careers this fall.

With another year to improve and busy summers full of tennis ahead, Budai and Merchiers look to come back strong in the next year as well.

The Big 12 competition will remain stiff, but ISU coach Armando Espinosa said all his players will be up to the task. It is only a few months until the Cyclones get start proving it.