Featuring 13 home matches, NIU men’s tennis’s 2026 schedule was announced by NIU Athletics on Thursday. The Huskies will play 21 matches in their spring dual season, eight of which will be on the road.
After a 8-15 season in which the Huskies went 1-9 against Mid-American Conference opponents, NIU looks to make one final run at the MAC Championship, which will be hosted by the reigning champions, the University at Buffalo Bulls. The top four teams in the conference qualify, and the tournament will be held on April 18 and 19.
The Huskies have eight returners from last season, and are adding two new transfer students to the roster. With no incoming freshman joining the team, NIU will rely on veteran players and a boost from sophomore transfers Nikola Puntaric and Lorenzo Leti Messina.
NIU’s first action against MAC opponents comes on Oct. 24 at the conference’s indoor championship before beginning their dual season in 2026.
The Huskies open their spring season against two future Horizon League opponents, taking on Indiana University Indianapolis at home on Jan. 23, before traveling to Chicago State University on Jan. 25.
Returning to DeKalb for a six-match homestand, the Huskies will be visited by Xavier University, Illinois State University, Roosevelt University, Southern University, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
The Huskies begin conference play on the road against the University of Illinois Chicago Flames, before facing Western Michigan University and Ball State University to continue conference play.
The team on the other end of the NIU’s one conference win in 2025, the University of Toledo Rockets, come to town on March 2 to face the Huskies.
NIU finishes the regular season at home on April 9 and April 11, playing Western Michigan and Ball State.
