In its first matches of the season, the men’s tennis team got off to a solid start.

“We competed well in some tough matches,” said Coach Pawel Gajdzik. “We showed a lot of heart.”

Sophomore Matt Hansen led the Huskies with four wins while advancing to the singles quarterfinals and the doubles semifinals with freshman teammate Ross VanderPloeg.

The duo won their first three matches before losing in the semis to Drake team Ivan Mendoza and Ricardo Lau, 8-3.

“They played very well with a lot of energy,” Gadjzik said. “They’re dedicated and play with heart and have a lot of mental toughness.”

Junior Javier Bernabe advanced to the singles quarterfinals along with Hansen. However, both Huskies dropped their matches. Bernabe finished the weekend with a 2-1 record.

Senior Alfonso Monroy went 1-1 in singles play and VanderPloeg lost his only match and finished the weekend with a 0-1 singles record.

The Huskies will play their second event on Oct. 3 at the Ball State Fall Invitational in Muncie, Ind.

Women’s Tennis

At the UIC Invitational, the women’s tennis team played well in its second invite of the season.

“I am very pleased with how we performed,” said coach Ryun Ferrell. “We looked pretty sharp.”

Junior Brooke Forsberg went 3-0 and won the D-Flight Singles Championship in straight sets.

Forsberg defeated Western Illinois’ Courtney Brooks 6-1, 6-4.

“That was a tough opponent for [Forsberg] and it was pretty good for her to come out on top,” Ferrell said. “That just shows how hard she’s been working.”

Senior Nao Umemura and Forsberg won their seventh place match in A-Flight Doubles.

The team of senior Lilian Asuaje and sophomore Katie Friedlund won in B-Flight Backdraw 8-4 over a duo from Western.

The Huskies continue their fall schedule this Friday at the Ball State Invitational in Muncie, Ind.

Women’s Cross Country

The women’s cross country team began the weekend with a 9th place finish in its third meet of the season. It took place at the Illinois Intercollegiate Chamionships in Normal.

Senior Meghan Ginter led the Huskies with a time of 19:24 and finished in 28th place. The second Huskie to cross the finish line was sophomore Sunsea Shaw at 19:34 and finished in 39th.

Senior Ashley Rittenbacher and sophomore Breanna Brevitt were third and fourth for NIU with times of 20:27 and 20:42.

The Huskies will continue their season this Saturday at the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minn.