Men’s tennis (2-1) will look to increase its win streak to three games as it takes on an in-state opponent in UIC at 4 p.m. today at 4 p.m.

The Huskies defeated the Flames 5-2 in the last meeting between the two teams. NIU head coach Patrick Fisher said that he is well aware that this won’t be the same Flames team that the Huskies saw last season.

“UIC has improved this year,” Fisher said. “They started off with a really, really tough schedule. We know it’s going to be a tough game, and anytime you play an in state school you never want to lose those games.

It’s going to be kind of great to play in Aurora in front of the IHSA high school tennis association. That could create a great environment to play in and it could be great for all the high school coaches in Illinois to become more familiar with NIU as well as UIC. Hopefully they like NIU a little better.”

The Huskies will once again be without senior Simon Formont and transfer junior Eric Marbach. Fisher is expecting other players to step up and perform well in the absence of some of his most valuable pieces.

“Simon is obviously one of our best players,” he said. “Eric [Marbach], a transfer we expected to be a big part of our lineup, is out as well. So it’s an opportunity for others guys to step and show that they’re capable of doing it.”

The Huskies will be right back in action following today’s game as they will battle against Eastern Illinois at 1 p.m. tomorrow at West Tennis Courts. The team is looking to draw higher attendance with free pizza and soft drinks for those who come out and support the team.