The ISU women’s tennis team fought hard and played tough this weekend yet lost to Big 12 conference rivals Kansas and Kansas State.

The Cyclones were unable to come away with a doubles or singles win and were shut out (7-0) by both No. 33 Kansas and No. 43 Kansas State.

The win against Iowa State marked Kansas’ 10th straight win and maintained an undefeated home season (9-0).

“I thought our match against Kansas was good because we fought hard and stayed focused against a team that is undefeated in the Big 12,” head coach Michele Conlon said. “I was particularly glad the girls responded well against KU on Sunday because they were flat against KSU on Saturday.”

Against Kansas, Edna Vazquez was able to take her match to three sets, before falling to Emily Haylook 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.

“Edna played a terrific match against Kansas and took it to three sets,” Conlon said.

“She had a goal of working on consistency in her match, but she had to adjust because she needed to play more aggressively.”

Despite the losses, the team feels it gained valuable experience from the weekend.

“We learned that we have a lot more room for improvement, and we hope to use these experiences to our advantage in the remaining matches of our season,” junior Kristin Gyaki said.

Gyaki said the team put up a tough fight over the weekend and never gave up, even though that may not be reflected by the final score.

“Overall, the entire team showed a great fighting spirit in both matches,” she explained.

“We all played with a lot of heart, which is all you can ask anyone to do.”

Conlon felt the team was at a disadvantage going into the matches because they didn’t get to practice outside on Friday due to the weather.

“I felt bad for our student-athletes because they had to go to Kansas and play outside when they didn’t have an opportunity to practice outside on Friday because all eight of the tennis courts on campus were being used by P.E. classes,” Conlon said.

The team was forced to practice inside the rest of the week because of bad weather so it was critical that the team practice outside on Friday.

“The Big 12 is difficult enough without having to have a handicap going into the meet, as we did this weekend,” Conlon said.

Conlon said the team is going to focus on individual improvements and team goals in practice this week.

“I am looking forward to a great week of practice and hopefully our proudest moments are ahead of us,” she said.

The losses drop Iowa State to 5-9 overall and 1-7 in the Big 12.

The Cyclones will travel to Stillwater, Okla. to play the Oklahoma State Cowgirls on Saturday at 10 a.m.