Beginning its season with a win and a loss, the ISU women’s tennis team had a chance to get its feet wet going into this weekend’s matches in Des Moines.

The Cyclones opened their season Jan. 10 with a 5-2 victory against Flagler College. They turned around and lost, 4-3, the next weekend in a close duel to Texas El Paso.

This weekend, the Cyclones will match up against two opponents at the Knapp Tennis Center in Des Moines. The first will be Nebraska Omaha at 2 p.m. and the second is against North Dakota at 3:30 p.m.

“My goal for this weekend is for each lady to take care of her match,” said coach Armando Espinosa.

The Mavericks opened their season on Jan. 18th against Kansas. The Jayhawks sent them home without a point on the board, winning, 7-0, in the Kansas Tennis Center. The Fighting Sioux have fallen twice: once against Minnesota, 7-0, and again against Northern Illinois, 6-1.

ISU coach Armando Espinosa will entrust his three seniors — Alejandra Galvis, Ana Gasparovic and Anna Kuuttila — to lead and set the tone of the matches for the young team this weekend. All three girls carry strong credentials.

Galvis, who is in the Iowa State record books with four conference wins and was ranked No. 1 in Colombia as well as being a Colombian National Champion in 2010, was once ranked 25th nationally in the Croatian senior division.

Kuuttila won the 5A New Mexico State Championship in 2011.

The women’s tennis team will head to Idaho State on Feb. 12 following this weekend’s games.