Even at a quick glance, the oddity displayed on the ISU tennis team’s schedule is immediately noticeable.

In the first half of the spring season, the Cyclones (4-6, 0-3 Big 12) only had to leave the comforts of home once. Now, due to a bizarre schedule, they must play on the road in eight of their final 10 meets.

Coach Michele Conlon feels the situation will eventually straighten itself out.

“This is the first year that the Big 12 has scheduled matches for us. With the schedules rotating, there will be different kinds of stretches similar to this,” Conlon said. “Over time, our schedule may prove to be more favorable some years and not so much others.”

The Cyclones kicked off their marathon road trip by playing two nonconference opponents over spring break in Fort Myers, Fla.

The team was able to start its trip on a positive note by earning a hard-fought victory over the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, 4-3. Although they found themselves trailing 3-2, the Cyclones were able to leave the court with a win thanks to impressive wins by Chrissy Derouin and Liza Wischer.

The Cyclones came up short in their second meet versus the Dartmouth Big Green, 6-1. The lone point secured by the Cyclones came from three-seed Caitlin Loprinzi.

Despite losing the first set, Loprinzi came back to win the match, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. With the win, Loprinzi improved her record to 8-2 on the season.

Conlon is pleased with everything the senior from Rochester, Minn., has been able to accomplish this year.

“It is certainly great for her to be playing this way her senior year,” she said. “During her time here, she has been able to come back from two injuries. With all that she has been through, Caitlin has really earned this.”

The Cyclones will now head to Texas for a pair of meets this weekend against ranked opponents.

The No. 17 Texas Longhorns (8-4, 2-0, Big 12) will host the Cyclones at 1:30 p.m. Friday. The Cyclones will then make the two-hour commute to College Station to face the No. 32 Texas A&M Aggies (8-5, 2-0, Big 12). The meet is scheduled to begin at noon Sunday.

The home-court advantage is beneficial in tennis, Conlon said, noting that Texas and Texas A&M both have a strong home-court advantage.

“The level of play at both schools is very comparable. What makes them different from each other are their facilities. Although they’re different, they both are very strong,” Conlon said. “At A&M especially, their home crowd provides their team with a great deal of energy. Places like [A&M and Texas] are a great location to watch tennis in, and they make it fun to play there.”