Women's Tennis | April 16

DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University women's tennis team closes its 2026 regular season this weekend at home with a Friday afternoon match against Ball State on Senior Day. Friday's match is scheduled for 12 p.m. at the Nelson Tennis Center at Chick Evans Field House, admission is free.

Following the match, NIU will recognize seniors Jenna Horne, Nataly Ninova and Isabella Righi. The trio is one of the more impactful classes in recent memory with all three being members of the 100-Win Club and have combined for just over 400 career wins entering Friday.

Each has played key roles in the program's success since coming to DeKalb. Some highlights during their tenure include a Mid-American Conference West Division title, earning a NIT Championship bid, breaking a school record for most dual match wins in a season, defeating the first Power Four Conference team since at least 2005, recording 15 wins in three consecutive seasons for the first time in school history and much more.

Last time out, the Huskies (16-8, 2-5 MAC) defeated Bowling Green, recording a 5-2 win at home on Sunday, April 12. Sophomores Irmak Budak and Lucia Yecora each recorded singles victories, marking back-to-back conference wins for the pair. Yecora's 14 singles wins rank second on the team while Budak's 13 rank tied for third.

Ninova notched two more wins in the match against the Falcons, upping her career total to 165 and officially becoming the program's all-time combined career wins record holder, breaking a tie with Nelle Youel (2011-15).

Ball State (9-8, 2-4 MAC) has two matches remaining this season and is still in contention for the final spot in the MAC Tournament. The Cardinals have dropped two of their last three matches by score of 4-3, falling to Western Michigan and Toledo. Ball State last defeated Eastern Michigan, 6-1, on April 3.

NIU has won two of the last three over Ball State with both wins coming at home.