The ISU tennis team will head down to the desert in Arizona for the Wildcat Invitational. The tournament will last all weekend starting on Friday and going until Sunday.

The tournament will consist of both singles and doubles matches from a variety of teams including New Mexico State, Cal State Northridge, Northern Arizona, Texas-El Paso and Texas-San Antonio.

ISU coach Armando Espinosa is looking forward to his team continuing to be exposed to teams outside of the Midwest.

“More than anything, we are going to try to get exposed to different teams, different people, different talent outside of the three regional tournaments we have faced,” Espinosa said.

Espinosa is also happy the tournament will allow them to extend the outdoor season a bit longer instead of having to start playing indoors with the change in seasons approaching.

The Cyclones have been experimenting with doubles pairings in previous outings, and Espinosa says this tournament will be no different.

“Doubles for us is going to be important to see who is playing better with everyone,” Espinosa said. “After six tournaments and putting different people together in all of them, it is going to give us a really good assessment in where we are in terms of trying to find the right matchup.”

Junior Caroline Anderson, of Norway, will be among the players traveling to the tournament this weekend. She will be participating in both singles and doubles events.

This week, Anderson has been focusing on her foot stance. Her main priority in practice this week has been getting in the right position when the ball is coming.

Anderson notes positive team chemistry and an established support system could give the Cyclones an advantage over their opponents. 

“When everyone gets along and comes together, it is easier to support each other and be happy for each other even though tennis is more of an individual sport,” Anderson said.