The Illinois women’s tennis team started off its four-game road trip Friday by beating Iowa, 5-2.

The Illini victory increased their win streak to five matches and their record to 9-9 overall and 3-1 in conference play. The Hawkeyes fell to 13-4 overall and 3-2 in conference play.

While Iowa lost the match, it did take the doubles point. The Hawkeyes won the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles matches.

Iowa’s Zoe Douglas and Kristen Thoms won 6-4 against senior Alexis Casati and sophomore Daniela Pedraza Novak at the No. 3 position.

At No.1 doubles, senior Louise Kwong and sophomore Ines Vias lost a tough one against the Hawkeyes. Elise Van Heuvelen and Adorabol Huckleby won the match, 7-6 (8-6).

Even though the Illini lost the doubles point, they bounced back against Iowa in singles. They won the first three singles matches, all without a third set.

Junior Grace Tapak started it off for the Illini, defeating Aimee Tarun at the No. 6 doubles position, 6-2, 6-2. Senior Maddie Baillon followed suit by winning 6-1, 6-2 at No.3 doubles against the Hawkeyes’ Anastasia Reimchen.

Sophomore Jaclyn Switkes then extended the match lead for the Illini to 3-1 after she defeated Adorabol Huckleby 6-2, 6-2 at No. 4 singles.

Kwong clinched the match for the Illini at the No. 1 doubles. She won over Elise Van Heuvelen, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.

The Illini had already clinched the match, but Casati extended the lead to 5-1, winning over Douglas at No. 2 singles, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Iowa’s Montana Crawford put another point on the board for the Hawkeyes to end the match at 5-2. She beat Novak on Court Five, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 7-5

After defeating Iowa, Illinois traveled to Nebraska on Sunday.

The Illini started off the doubles point well against Nebraska, as Switkes and Baillon defeated Lisa Andersson and Vasanti Shinde 6-2 at the No. 2 position.

However, the Cornhuskers retaliated by winning both the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles matches to take the doubles point. Nebraska’s Mary Hanna and Paula Del Cueto Castillo beat Kwong and sophomore Ines Vias in the next match, 6-3.

Claire Reifeis and Hayley Haakenstad clinched the doubles point for the Cornhuskers with a 6-3 win at the No. 3 doubles position over Casati and Novak.

The Illini bounced back strongly to start off singles, winning the first two matches at the No. 5 and No. 2 positions.

In the first match, Novak beat Nebraska’s Jeannie Lozowski 7-5, 6-3. Casati then gave the Illini a 2-1 lead in the match, winning at No. 2 singles, 6-1, 7-6 against Reifeis.

Nebraska countered the Illinois’ consecutive wins with three of its own. Castillo won at No. 4 singles against Switkes 6-1, 7-6. Kwong lost in the next match 4-6, 6-7 in No. 1 singles against Vasanti Shinde.

Andersson then clinched the win at 4-2 for the Cornhuskers, beating Tapak at No. 6 singles, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.

The Illini fell to 9-10 and had their win streak snapped at five. Nebraska improved to 17-3 and 4-1 in conference play.

The Illini continue their road trip in the Big Ten next weekend when they play Indiana on Friday and Purdue on Sunday.

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