Women's Tennis | August 11

DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University women's tennis team has announced the schedule for the upcoming school year, featuring at least five fall competitions and 25 dual matches in the spring.

"We're really excited about this year's schedule. The fall tournaments will be great for our newcomers to get experience and also for our returners to build confidence for the spring," said head coach Eric Burns. "The spring schedule will test our team as always with some challenging home and road matches and new rivals in the Horizon League. We can't wait to get going."

The Huskies enter 2026-27 following a 17-win spring in which they earned a second consecutive bid for the UTR NIT Championship. Heading into the Horizon League, NIU will look to extend its streak of winning at least 15 dual matches for the fourth consecutive year.

In late September, NIU will compete in the Minnesota Gopher Invitational from the 25-27th and then get its first look at new conference foes in the Horizon League Championship the following weekend from Oct. 2-4.

The Huskies head to the ITA Regionals from Oct. 8-12 looking to repeat the success from last season that saw three reach in Singles Main Draw and an upset victory over Illinois in the Doubles Main Draw to reach the Round of 16.

Closing the fall with a pair of invitationals, NIU will compete in the Marquette Invite in mid-October before hosting the NIU Huskie Indoor Invitational from Oct. 30 – Nov. 1 against Bowling Green, Bradley, Chicago State, IU Indy and Marquette.

The 2027 dual season begins just as 2026 did, traveling to Wisconsin on Jan. 18 and then a short road trip to Chicago State on Jan. 22. NIU will host its first homestand of the season with a doubleheader against Valparaiso and Bradley on Jan. 23 followed by welcoming DePaul on Jan. 29.

The Huskies hit the road beginning on Jan. 30, traveling to Northwestern and cap the five-match road stretch at Minnesota on Feb. 7.

NIU will be back at in the Nelson Tennis Center at Chick Evans Field House with a pair of doubleheaders on Feb. 12 and Feb 19 that includes in-state opponents Illinois State and Western Illinois. The Huskies will be on the road during the month of March, traveling to UIC, Marquette and Butler.

April begins Horizon League play, starting with hosting Oakland on April 4 before a neutral match at Cleveland State against Mercyhurst on April 8. Two days later, NIU will play the Vikings to continue Horizon play.

Next up is road matches against Youngstown State on April 11 and Milwaukee on April 17. NIU closes the regular season with back-to-back home matches against IU Indy on April 24 and Northern Kentucky on April 25.

The Horizon League Championship will take place at Purdue University from April 30 – May 2.

Schedule Notes

• Three Big Ten opponents in Minnesota, Northwestern and Wisconsin.
• NIU went 8-3 against common opponents from 2026 to 2027.
• Both Northwestern (No. 57) and Wisconsin (No. 29) closed 2026 ranked by the ITA.
• NIU faces three teams that reached the NCAA Tournament in 2026 (Illinois State, Wisconsin, Youngstown State).
• The Huskies recorded a 6-1 win over Horizon League regular season co-champion Milwaukee on Feb. 8, 2026.
• NIU defeated Missouri Valley Conference regular season champion UIC 6-1 on Mar. 8, 2026.
• Ten home matches, five back-to-backs and four doubleheaders.
• DePaul and Drake each finished 2026 as conference tournament runner-ups.
• NIU takes on Mercyhurst and Seton Hall for the first time.