After two weeks on the road, the ISU women’s tennis team returns to Ames, finally playing opponents on its home courts.

The Cyclones have a challenge against conference teams Texas A&M and Oklahoma State this weekend.

Weather permitting, the team will play on the Forker tennis courts, located across from Lied Recreation Center. Coach Michele Conlon said she hopes Friday’s match against Texas A&M will attract people walking home from class.

“The meet is at noon and right on campus, and there’s a lot of traffic that goes by,” Conlon said. “Playing outside is especially exciting for us when people stop by to watch.”

Freshman Caitlin Loprinzi said crowd support could help the team get fired up.

“It’s nice to have fans there to get rowdy and support you,” she said. “That’s what makes the game really fun.”

Conlon said the teams this weekend may be tough to beat, but they are not out of reach. Texas A&M (8-9, 3-1 Big 12) is the defending 2004 Big 12 tournament champion and has won six of its last seven meets. Oklahoma State recently defeated Kansas State for its first win of the conference schedule and is 4-10 overall and 1-4 in the conference.

“This team is determined. They really want [a win] and they’re getting better for it,” Conlon said.

“We need to stay aggressive, keep the ball deep so they’re not overpowering us.”

Friday’s meet is Loprinzi’s second week of play after a month off from resting her injured wrist.

Returning to play last weekend in Texas was tough, but she said she managed.

“I had to hit a one-handed backhand, which made it harder to control and place the ball,” Loprinzi said. “It does affect me, but I can run around it. I got almost all of [my backhands] in last weekend.”

Loprinzi’s teammates must have noticed her ability to compensate for her injury.

They voted her player of the week for her effort in the meets. Conlon said she was also impressed with Loprinzi’s performance in Texas.

“I thought Caitlin was amazing,” she said. “She had to learn some new shots, but she is very competitive, team-oriented and determined. There’s not a lot that is going to get in Caitlin’s way.

“There are some things in her game that she will have to overcome due to her injuries, but the things in her game that are constant, like her competitiveness and drive, seem to have escalated.”

Although the Cyclones were shut out by both Baylor and Texas Tech last weekend, freshman Chrissy Derouin said the team’s competitiveness is still driving it.

“I think the losses are wearing on us,” she said. “However, it’s not necessarily a bad thing because it makes you hungrier and makes you work harder.

“You hope the next match, the next meet, the next point will be that much better.”

Conlon said the team has talked about ways to spot weaknesses in the opponent early in the match and play to that weakness. She said, for example, if an opponent is a hard ball hitter who likes everything in the power zone by her hip, one can compensate by hitting balls high above the shoulder or down low so the opponent is forced to lift the ball.

The Cyclones set out on their quest against Texas A&M at noon Friday and against Oklahoma State at 11 a.m. Saturday. The backup location for the meets is the south Ames Racquet and Fitness Club, 320 S. 17th St.