The ISU tennis team won big over the weekend, but it was no walk in the park.

Iowa State held off two nonconference foes, punishing the Creighton Bluejays on Friday, 7-0, before hitting the courts Saturday afternoon to put down upset-minded Gustavus Adolphus, 6-1.

The Cyclones (3-1) defeated Creighton (1-2) with wins in all three doubles matches as well as a clean sweep of the Bluejays in singles play.

Senior Jill Palen, playing at the No. 1 spot, was the only Cyclone to be under fire by the visiting Bluejays.

After losing the first set and falling behind 4-2 in the second, Palen went on a tear, coming from behind to win five of the next six games, clinching the second set before going on the win subsequent tie-breaker.

“I didn’t start off playing the greatest,” Palen said. “I actually played her growing up and had never lost to her. I picked it up somehow and just kept with it. I think I just wore her down.”

Saturday’s dual with Gustavus Adolphus (2-2) started out with an intense match-up at the No. 1 doubles slot.

Eve Soriano and Kara Hickey’s undefeated doubles record was in jeopardy as they struggled to put down the pair from Gustavus. Down early, the Cyclone duo had to battle back and force the match into a tiebreaker, which they narrowly won to keep their record unblemished on the season.

The doubles play was a foreshadowing of things to come as the Cyclones fought to put away matches the rest of the day against the Division III powerhouse. Freshman Alyssa Palen and junior Chrissy Derouin both went into three set marathons with their respective opponents.

“This is fully what we expected out of Gustavus,” said coach Michele Conlon. “They are a strong team, they pushed us to the limit in double a couple years ago so we knew it was going to be tough.”

The highlight of the weekend, however, was the continued good health from junior Caitlin Loprinzi, who has been plagued by injuries throughout her career.

“This is the first time in a couple years that she has been able to play back-to-back matches,” Conlon said. “She’s worked so hard to put herself in a position to do this. Some people would have given up but Caitlin has come back. Not only has she come back but she has been playing better and better every time out.”

The Cyclones’ next opponent is the Texas A&M Aggies at 4 p.m. Friday at the 7 Flags Fitness and Event Center in Des Moines.