The Iowa State Cyclones are traveling to Florida for this weekend’s matchup against the North Florida Ospreys on March 2 at 2 p.m. The following day Iowa State will be in Deland, Florida against the Mercer Bears at 9 a.m.

The Cyclones are coming off of two wins and one loss against a top-25 team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers who are currently 9-2.

Iowa State women’s tennis coach Armando Espinosa was very pleased with how the team performed last weekend against the top-25 team.

“Even though we lost against Nebraska, we played our best matches of the season,” Espinosa said. “We were up four of the matches, and they were very competitive. We just could not execute in the later rounds.

“When the match was over the Nebraska coach congratulated the team on how hard they played.”

Iowa State has had a facelift since its last meeting with North Florida, hiring a new coach and recruiting new players to play for the program. 

“North Florida has always been a competitive team,” Espinosa said. “These matches will prepare us for Oklahoma, especially getting used to the different conditions for the Big 12 Tournament.”

The team is focusing on rallying and keeping the ball out of the net, especially due to wind.

Besides facing two very good and competitive teams this weekend, the Cyclones will take on other challenges.

“We have to get used to the outdoors quickly to be efficient against both teams this weekend,” Espinosa said. “Getting enough rest throughout the weekend since we leave the Des Moines Airport at 3:45 a.m. will be a top priority for us.”