The Iowa State tennis team looks to extend its current winning streak this weekend, facing off against the Illinois Fighting Illini on Friday before taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series.
The Cyclones last competed Saturday, earning a pivotal comeback win against the previously undefeated UNLV Rebels. The story of the match was the improbable win by junior Valeska San Martin Ramirez to give the Cyclones the win, 4-3.
Iowa State will look to build on that momentum against Illinois to start the weekend in what is likely to be a back-and-forth affair.
The Illinois Fighting Illini (2-5) are looking to rebound from a disappointing homestand in Urbana last weekend, where they were defeated 0-4 in all three matchups. Fortunately for the Illini, there are some silver linings to their early-season play.
All five of Illinois’ losses have come to teams ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ICA) top 25 and excluding last weekend against a trio of top-12 teams, the Fighting Illini have been extremely competitive in all their meets.
Additionally, sophomore Mari Paz Alberto Vilar, who typically reps the No. 1 spot in the lineup, will face her toughest opponent of the season in McKenna Schaefbauer. Alberto Vilar comes into the match with an 11-6 record and is currently ranked No. 58 in the ITA singles rankings, while Schaefbauer is 12-3 and ranked No. 67.
The Cyclones appear to have the edge in the No. 2 and No. 3 matchups, where Illinois spots a duo of underclassmen who hold .500 records across their careers. Illinois junior Alice Xu appears to have rebounded from a disappointing 2024-2025 season, providing the Fighting Illini a dependable No. 3 in the order.
Iowa State won’t have much time to rest following their meeting Friday, as they will then have to prep for the ever-important Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk match on Sunday.
Despite the Valentine’s season, there is no love lost between the two teams as the Cyclones will look to take care of business against Iowa for the fifth time in the past six years.
The Hawkeyes (3-4), much like Illinois, are coming off a disappointing three-game losing streak and are aiming to end that skid against the Cyclones.
The Hawkeyes also feature a strong top option in No. 101 Mia Mack. Mack is 6-0 on the season with wins against No.18 Texas’ Eszter Meri and Wichita State’s Xin Tong Wang.
While both the Cyclones and the Hawkeyes have faced the Wichita State Shockers, both teams stumbled to a 4-2 loss. Iowa hasn’t competed since its matchup against the Shockers, while the Cyclones have won their past two since the Shockers travelled to Ames.
Despite winning four of the last five meetings, the Hawkeyes lead the overall series against the Cyclones 33-11 due to a 30-match win streak before this recent stretch for Iowa State.
The Cyclones will face off against Illinois at 4:30 p.m. Friday and they will compete against Iowa at 11 a.m. Sunday. Both contests will be held at the Iowa State Tennis Facility. Live results can be found on Statbroadcast.com
