When asking members of the ISU tennis team what their focus is on during practice or what their goals are for the season, everyone gives the same answer.

Improvement.

“I know this may sound like a big cliche, but our main focus is to just get better every day. Coach [Armando] Espinosa and I are big believers in this,” said assistant coach Mike Williams. “If we get better then wins will take care of themselves.”

After watching the team’s performance at last weekend’s Air Force Invitational, it’s easy to see that their mindset is helping.

The Air Force Invitational was the first competition of the year for six of the team’s eight players, and it was played in Colorado Springs where the air is thinner and harder to breathe in.

Despite all of that, the team showed up ready to play and put on a performance that Williams loved.

“We competed really well as a team, especially day one,” Williams said. “Seven of our eight girls were in the semifinals, which is huge.”

The Cyclones started off hot Friday, winning several first-round matchups. The tournament ran through Saturday and concluded Sunday.

“Saturday started off slow,” Williams said. “I don’t want to say it set a negative tone, but we did not play as well as we could have.”

The ISU players showed the field what they could do in both singles and doubles play.

ISU junior Maria Fernanda Mecedo had a solid tournament. She defeated Northern Colorado’s Jennifer Whateley 6-0, 6-3 to move on to face Oklahoma State’s Laisa Buslaleva in the second bracket final. She topped Buslaleva in two tough 6-3, 6-4, matches to bring Iowa State its first title of the Invitational.

Sophomore Simona Cacciuttolo outplayed Oregon’s Rabea Stuckemann 6-4, 4-6, 10-6 to win her consolation tournament

Perhaps the most impressive singles matchup of the weekend took place when ISU freshman Emma Waites battled New Mexico’s Amy Shippherd.

Waites found herself down often in the three-set match, but every time she was able to compose herself and battle back for a win. She took the series 5-7, 6-2, 10-8.

ISU doubles tandem Jenna Langhorst and Waites made it to the finals, but fell to New Mexico’s Kristen Eggleston and Michaela Oldani 8-5.

The Cyclones have played well in all three tournaments so far, and showed good team play in their first tournament.

“Whenever you can just play well it is a good tournament,” Williams said. “It was the first tournament we brought eight girls down, and besides Emma Waites and Jenna Langhorst, it was the first competition for all of them. I think they played incredibly well.”

The team arrived back in Ames on Monday and it is heading back to the courts to practice and prepare for the Western Michigan Invitational on Nov. 5-7.