Women's Tennis | March 12

DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University women's tennis team begins Mid-American Conference play this weekend, traveling to Eastern Michigan on Friday and to Toledo on Sunday. Both road tests are scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.

To this point, NIU (14-3) has faced a loaded schedule that has included four Power Four conference opponents in Minnesota, Missouri, Northwestern and Wisconsin. The challenging schedule hopes to pay off for the Huskies as they head into MAC play.

"The best teams have depth throughout the line up and are resilient … We are in a conference that has a lot of those teams," said head coach Eric Burns. "The MAC is an excellent mid-major conference. Every team is capable of the beating the best teams on any given day."

More recently, NIU has walked away with a win in nine of the last 10 matches. Burns and his team have built confidence from the positive results and the group aims to build on the momentum created thus far in the coming weeks.

"When you talk about having a successful season, you really have to look at the whole body of work and not just a handful of matches," said Burns. "I'm really proud to be 14-3 at the moment. We've had some great wins ... Now let's continue that success and take it one match at a time like our previous 17 matches and see where things fall in these last eight MAC matches."

Thanks to consistent play from upperclassmen and underclassmen stepping up to the challenge, the Huskies have answered questions about the lineup adjustments from 2025 to 2026. As a team, NIU has a singles winning percentage of 71.3 and underclassmen hold a 43-20 singles record.

"The freshmen have become more a part of the team and have bought in to what we are trying to do. They have a better understanding of the work ethic and intensity you have to bring each day," said Burns. "We have also developed our doubles teams over the season and have several combinations that we feel confident with. We have won 70 percent of our doubles points, which is very solid with new combinations."

Depth and confidence have proven to be a strength for NIU in 2026.

"This team is confident and believes in their abilities," said Burns. "They really don't get too up or down and that serves them well. I probably get more jacked up about things than they ever do. Their ability to stay even keeled is a positive for this team."

The Opponents
Eastern Michigan (9-5, 0-0 MAC) finished second behind NIU in the MAC West Division last season. The Eagles are coming off a 6-1 loss to No. 55 North Florida on Wednesday, March 4. Eastern Michigan recorded wins over Butler, Bradley and DePaul in February.

Toledo (5-6, 0-0 MAC) was selected first in the coaches preseason poll and pushed Michigan State to the final court on Feb. 20 before losing 4-3. NIU and Toledo met in the first round of the MAC Tournament last season, with the Huskies prevailing 4-1.