After a weekend free from competition, the ISU tennis team is preparing to swing back into action in a three-day bout against Oklahoma, Kansas and Northern Colorado.

Although the Cyclones have home-court advantage and a weeklong rest under their belts, coach Michele Conlon said the women have to stay focused to be successful through the long weekend of competition.

“Mental toughness is going to play a role this weekend because we have three matches which will be physically and mentally grueling,” Conlon said. “However, it’s part of the schedule.”

Playing so much in a weekend is unusual for the players, but when Conlon was scheduling the matches, she said, this was the only way to get those teams on the schedule without time conflicts.

“I’ve never played three dual matches in a weekend before,” sophomore Danielle Uscinski said.

“It will definitely take a toll on our bodies.”

The women’s strength has been tested all season, with recurring injuries plaguing the team. Uscinski said this weekend will prove especially challenging.

“It’s frustrating because we have all the tools to win, we have just been faced with a lot of random injuries,” she said.

During the team’s week off, Conlon said, the women have been working hard on conditioning to enable them to physically stay competitive in the meets. She also cited the strength and conditioning coaches for getting the girls in shape.

“It’s the mental toughness that we are all working on,” Conlon said, “which means being focused on your match, managing your emotions and concentrating toward the end of a match to close it out.”

Coming off a big win against Missouri’s No. 1 singles player, Katka Sevcikova, sophomore Jill Palen said she has gained the confidence she needs going into a hard weekend of competition and hopes to avoid a letdown.

Another boost to the team’s confidence came with a little help from the men’s tennis club.

“We had the [men’s club] come into practice to help us with our serves,” Palen said.

“When you go against teams in the Big 12, they have bigger serves because they have bigger girls.

“It’s an adjustment to return their serves, so we had some of the guys come out and serve to us so we could practice returns against harder serves.”

The Cyclone women begin their weekend of competition at 4 p.m. Friday at the Ames Racquet and Fitness Club against Northern Colorado. The team faces Big 12 rival Kansas at noon Saturday at Ames Racquet and Fitness. Sunday’s match will be played at 10 a.m. at the Seven Flags Tennis Center in Des Moines against Oklahoma.