The ISU tennis team is gearing up for its second fall test, but may have to deal with some unique health concerns.

The Cyclones are traveling to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Drake Jamboree on Friday, where they will take part in their second multi-team tournament. While all of the Cyclones are entering the tournament healthy, it’s the opponent’s injuries that will pose a problem.

“There are some major injuries on the other teams that are precluding us from playing our full lineup,” said ISU coach Armando Espinosa. “The teams are going to have to borrow players from us, and that has set us back a bit.”

This unique circumstance will force Iowa State to part ways with some of its players to fill the gaps in other teams. The loaning of players will be at the coach’s discretion, but Espinosa wants to keep things as fair as he can.

For example, Iowa could only field four healthy players, so it will be in need of two. Espinosa wants to try and even the lineups, so if Iowa can only bring its bottom four, it may be in need of the Cyclone’s top two.

Injuries aside, the Cyclones are coming in after a great showing in the Gopher Invitational back in late September. They placed twice in that tournament and have tried extending over the long break the momentum picked up by winning.

“It’s hard to keep it going because we haven’t played a lot of live matches against each other,” said Samantha Budai, a fourth-place finisher at the previous tournament. “We play some points and sets, but it’s not the same level of competition or feel of a real match.”

This lack of competition could be seen as a weakness, but the ISU coaching staff is using the lull in play as a time for recovery and improvement ahead of the spring regular season.

The Cyclones have recently cut down the intensity of practice to focus more on technique than conditioning. The team has shifted gears away from drilling and conditioning to more live points and improving in-match technique instead of fitness.

The main focus behind the shift in intensity is to help solidify the lineup. The Cyclones want to have their starting lineup finalized by the end of their next two tournaments. The ISU coaches believe the lineup is almost final, but there is still time for players to make an impact.

“Even if we don’t know exactly where we’ll end up [in the lineup], we just want to go out and give 100 percent on every play, every point and every match,” said freshman Annabella Bonadonna.

The Cyclones will begin the tournament Friday at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center at Drake. The tournament will last from Friday to Sunday, beginning 9 a.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.