McLean County Times

The Illinois State women's tennis team is set to embark on a challenging road trip, facing two nationally-ranked Big Ten opponents. The Redbirds will first take on No. 63 Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana, this Saturday. Following this match, they will head to Iowa City to compete against No. 70 Iowa on Monday.

Returning players for the Redbirds include graduate student Elena Jankulovska and juniors Lana Caculovic, Zoe Limparis, Silvia Pomarolli, and Nuria Sanz. Head coach Maja Kovacek has also added three freshmen to the roster: Nicole Iosio from Italy, Emma Lindh from Sweden, and Sophie Marie-Lowe from Great Britain.

Coach Kovacek expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming matches against strong competitors: "We are really excited to start the season against Power-5 opponents. Both teams were nationally-ranked last year and this is going to be a great opportunity for us to challenge ourselves."

Joining Kovacek's coaching staff is Tijana Zlatanovic, a former MVC All-Academic honoree who posted an impressive singles record last season.

Purdue concluded their previous season with a 13-10 overall record and was led by Ece Gencer, named Big Ten Player to Watch earlier this month. Meanwhile, Iowa finished with an 11-12 record and will rely on Tereza Dejnozkova as their Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch.

After these matches, Illinois State will return home for a double-header in Bloomington against Western Illinois and University of Illinois-Springfield on January 26 at Evergreen Racquet Club.

Fans can follow the team's progress through various social media platforms including "X", Facebook, and Instagram or visit GoRedbirds.com for more information.