ROME, Ga. – For the first time in NIU's history as an NCAA program, the Huskies will play in a national postseason tournament when they take the courts at the Rome Tennis Center in Rome, Ga. on Wednesday, May 7, to face the Washington State Cougars in the quarterfinals of the UTR Sports NIT Championship.
 
After advancing to the finals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament as the No. 2 seed for the first time in school history, the Huskies accepted a bid to the NIT on April 30 to continue their history-making 2025 dual match campaign. The Huskies traveled to Rome Tuesday and practiced at the tournament site. The Rome Tennis Center at Berry College (RTCBC) opened in 2016 and features 57-courts on a 30 acre site, along with six indoor courts.
 
Follow live scores from the NIT Championship here and watch matches online via PlaySight after registering for a free account.
 
NIU brings a school-record 22 dual match wins into the tournament, while Washington State is ranked 57th in the latest ITA Rankings with a 17-8 overall record.  The winner of Wednesday's match, scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. (CT) will take on the winner of the Appalachian State-North Texas match on Thursday.
 
The other half of the bracket features Charlotte, Middle Tennessee State, North Alabama and Saint Mary's.  
 
"This is a great opportunity for our team, and they really deserve it," "They've had an unbelievable season with a 22-7 record and a second-place finish in the MAC. We're excited to go and see what we can do in a postseason environment.
 
"It's a great field with two teams in Charlotte and Washington State ranked in the Top 75 in the ITA rankings and others knocking on the door," said NIU head coach Eric Burns, who will complete his sixth season at the helm of the Huskie program in Rome and is already second on the school's women's tennis wins chart. "We don't see a lot of these teams during the regular season, so we'll get to see teams from different parts of the country, play in an unbelievable facility and be treated to a first-class experience."
 
The Huskies' 2024-25 roster includes junior and second team All-MAC selection Nataly Ninova, who has already re-set the school record for single season singles wins with 32, and NIU's first first-team All-MAC selection since 2017 – and seventh all-time – in senior transfer Maria Dzemeshkevich. Ninova and freshman Lucia Yecora, also a second team All-MAC choice, were both named to the MAC All-Tournament Team.
 
Click here for tournament information and follow the NIU women's tennis social media channels on X – NIUwomenstennis, Instagram – niuwtennis and Facebook – NIU Huskie Women's Tennis, as well as NIUHuskies.com, for more coverage.  
 
-- NIU --
 
Twitter: @NIUAthletics
Facebook: NIU Huskies
Instagram: niuhuskies
YouTube: NIU Athletics Official