March 5, 2010

DEKALB – Fresh off a two-match sweep in Iowa last weekend, the Northern Illinois women’s tennis team seeks its fifth-straight victory Friday when the Huskies travel to Peoria, Ill. to take on Bradley at 1 p.m. NIU will complete the weekend swing Saturday with a contest against Western Illinois in Galesburg, Ill. at 4 p.m.

The Huskies (4-4) have now won four straight matches for the first time under fourth-year head coach Ryun Ferrell. NIU started its road swing in impressive fashion last weekend by defeating Northern Iowa and South Dakota on consecutive days at the Black Hawk Tennis Club in Waterloo, Iowa.

On Friday, NIU captured the doubles point and used singles wins at the Nos. 2, 5 and 6 positions to beat host Northern Iowa, 4-3. Northern Iowa entered the match with a 29-8 record at home over the previous three seasons. The next day, the Huskies did not drop a set in three singles matches and cruised to a 7-0 victory over South Dakota.

Sophomore Emily Rogers and freshman Brittni Fausett are tied for the team lead with four singles wins and have catalysts for the Huskies lately. Rogers has won four-straight singles contests, including two straight at the No. 2 position. Fausett has played at three different slots in Ferrell’s lineup during the winning streak, and has won three out of her last four matches.

The Huskies have been stellar during doubles play during the win streak, capturing four-straight doubles points. The duo of Rogers and senior Brooke Forsberg has won four-straight matches at the No. 1 position, and sophomore Sara McLaughlin has won four consecutive matches at the No. 2 spot, including three with junior Kathryn Friedlund.

Bradley (4-5) will conclude an eight-match homestand this weekend and is 2-3 at home this season. The Braves, who will play three matches for the second-consecutive weekend, went 2-1 last weekend and enter Friday’s contest riding a two-match winning streak. Last season, the Huskies used five singles victories to defeat the Braves, 5-2, in DeKalb.

Western Illinois (3-7) will play its first home match of the 2010 spring season against NIU Saturday. The Leathernecks have won three out of their last four contests after starting the spring season with six straight losses. Last season, the Huskies won all three doubles matches in a 4-3 win over the Leathernecks in DeKalb.

Northern Illinois University Women's Tennis

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