At the first full practice in nearly a week, the Forker Tennis Courts were filled with cheers and laughter directed at a center-court contest between ISU coach Armando Espinosa and three players.

They were split into teams of two, trading short volleys over the net while the rest of the team cheered.

“It’s not something we do regularly, but we just wanted to have a little fun after the weekend,” Espinosa said.

The Cyclones had good reason to be in high spirits after a successful opening tournament at the Gopher Invitational in Minnesota. The first test was a stepping stone on Iowa State’s path to the regular season.

The team played well as a whole, but had two singles standouts in Samantha Budai and Annabella Bonadonna. They were the only Cyclones to place at the tournament. Budai finished seventh, and Bonadonna finished fourth.

“I got a really good position in my first tournament and that really helped me,” Bonadonna said. “It was tough because it was a lot of matches, but I got a lot of support from my team and that really helped me.”

The team also had great success in the doubles play. This was the first time trying out new pairings since the the team didn’t return any complete doubles teams from last season. 

But the Cyclones may not have a problem with the high turnover if the preseason results mean anything. Iowa State finished 16-8 in doubles play during the weekend.

“I thought we all played very well as a whole,” Budai said. “All the freshmen stepped up and had a good tournament. We’re still going to need more time to find working teams, but it was a really good start.”

One major issue the Cyclones worried about entering the invitational was the fitness level they needed to complete the marathon of the tournament.

Players averaged four matches per day across both singles and doubles, compared with the normal one match they play when the regular season starts.

“When you play four matches a day, it really starts to take a toll on your body,” Espinosa said. “It was a tough weekend, but it’s good to experience that kind of adversity early.”

This quick start will be the cornerstone for solidifying the starting lineup for the coming regular season. The Cyclones only have two more tournaments before they need to have their team set in stone.

“We are getting down to the wire and we want to hammer down who plays with who so that when we get to [our last tournament in] Daytona, we know who’s playing where,” Espinosa said. 

The Cyclones will continue working toward setting the lineup before their next contest at the Drake Jamboree, which will take place from October 23-25.

If they can replicate the kind of success from their previous tournament in Minnesota, they could be poised for a breakout season.