Seven seasons is a long time to wait.

That’s how long the ISU tennis team had to endure as they waded through seven consecutive seasons without a win over a Big 12 opponent. Finally, in their first Big 12 match of the 2008 season, the Cyclones were able to pull out a 4-3 victory over Kansas State.

“It’s hard going that many years [without a Big 12 win], that’s where we needed to start,” said senior Alyssa Palen.

The win meant a lot for a tennis program that hasn’t had the tradition of a big name program such as Duke, Stanford or Baylor.

“We come out every season and we haven’t had the tradition of bigger programs,” said head coach Armando Espinosa. “We are focused on creating a new culture [of success].” 

In his first season as head coach, Espinosa lead the Cyclones to a 10-13 record, their most successful season since 1996. Espinosa believes his team will build off of the win over Kansas State and make an impact in the Big 12 this season.

“They belong in the program and they belong in the Big 12,” Espinosa said.

The Big 12 season won’t begin until the spring. In preparation, the Cyclones will play five tournaments in the Midwest over the next two months.

The Cyclones will begin their fall schedule this weekend as they travel north to the University of Minnesota for the Gopher Invitational. The Cyclones will face some challenging teams, including rivals Iowa and Northern Iowa as well as Big 12 foe Nebraska. The team’s fall schedule will continue with tournaments at Drake, Oklahoma, Kansas and end with the grand finale at Western Michigan.

Espinosa claims some of the top teams in the nation, including Depaul and Notre Dame, will be at the WMU Super Challenge on November 6. The Cyclones will be only one of two teams at the tournament to enter the season unranked.

“If we make a good showing [at Western Michigan] we will hopefully start turning some heads nationally,” Espinosa said.

Individually, the top returning player from last season for the Cyclones is junior Erin Karonis.

As a freshman, Karonis won only four matches at the No. 1 singles position, with only one of the four being a Big 12 win. After her freshman season, Karonis realized she would have to challenge herself if she wanted to stay at the top singles position.

“Freshman year I got beat up, it forced me to work on things I wasn’t comfortable with,” Karonis said.

The tables turned last season as Karonis became the one beating up on opponents. Karonis began the season in stellar fashion as she won 10 of her first 11 matches. She finished the season 19-10 overall with a 7-4 record in Big 12 matches. Her impressive season did not go unrecognized and she was awarded with All-Big 12 honors for the season, becoming the second player in Iowa State history to do so.

“I’m really trying to play smarter this year now that I have matured since last season,” Karonis said.

As one of four upperclassmen on the team, Karonis will be relied on to provide leadership for a young team. The team is made up of three freshman, four sophomores, three juniors and the lone senior, Palen.

Palen was a part of breaking the Big 12 losing streak last season and believes that the team isn’t ready to lose for seven more seasons.

“There will definitely be more [wins] to come,” Palen said.