NIU women’s tennis split a pair of home matches over the weekend, winning against Western Illinois University 7-0 but falling to the University of Northern Iowa 0-7.

NIU (2-7) dominated every match against WIU (1-7). Sophomore Kelly Phillips won her first match at No. 1 singles with ease, 6-1, 6-4. In doubles, Phillips paired with junior Emily Rogers to win No. 1 at doubles 8-3.

“Kelly went after her girl hard, played great,” said head coach Ryun Ferrell. “She executed the game plan perfectly, which is nice to see. She played a smart, intelligent match, and it was nice to see her win.”

Ferrell contributes his team’s success against WIU to the amount of confidence his team played with as well as the ability to execute.

NIU set the tone in doubles, outscoring the WIU Leathernecks 24-4 before starting singles play, which built confidence in the team. NIU proceeded to outscore WIU 72-14 in singles, and did not drop a set on the day.

The Huskies, however, couldn’t carry their success over to Sunday. Against a strong team in UNI (7-5), NIU came out flat in doubles and couldn’t gain momentum against one of the tougher opponents it has seen so far.

NIU’s lone player to win a set on the day was junior Sara McLaughlin. McLaughlin lost the first set of her fifth singles match 0-6 before storming back to take the second set 6-4.

After fighting through the third set, McLaughlin couldn’t claim the victory and lost the final set 5-7. Ferrell was pleased with the determination McLaughlin showed in the hard-fought defeat.

“Sara’s always been my go-to girl,” Ferrell said. “I loved watching her play an emotional match on Sunday. Even though it was a losing effort, I was real excited to see her play. I cannot wait to see what she is going to be like in the future for us.”

Although the Huskies have gotten a slow start to the season, Ferrell said he believes his team will only continue to grow this season. NIU has been missing its first singles player, senior Katie Friedlund, all season due to wrist injuries and her return is expected to help solidify the lineup.

Ferrell is hoping Friedlund will be ready for the Huskies next match, which will be after a three week layoff on March 26 at home against Chicago State.