Last season, the NIU women’s tennis team lost to Western Michigan in the season finale at home.

The Huskies never have beaten the Broncos, losing all 14 of the head-to-head MAC matches.

NIU will have another chance to beat the school that has tamed the Huskies as they kick off the MAC schedule with a 1 p.m. match today in Kalamazoo, Mich.

“In a way, it is sort of being used as motivation for the seniors,” NIU coach Laura Scott said about never beating WMU. “In general, all MAC matches are used as motivation, but the seniors especially want to get this one because they haven’t beat them in their careers.”

The NIU roster includes seniors Kristi McIntyre, Karrie Tyioran and Branka Savic.

Savic and Tyioran are two of the four returning Huskies who won 20 or more singles matches last season. Savic won 22 singles matches, tying for the team-high last season.

“I feel as a senior that I really really want to beat [WMU],” Tyioran said. “I think there is the obvious pressure on us, but I think there is also pressure on Western because we have the potential to beat them. Last year was the closest we’ve been in my time here, and I think we are just as good as last year, if not better.”

The rest of the Huskies’ roster features three juniors, including last season’s MAC Newcomer of the Year Cassie Drake, a transfer from Missouri. NIU’s two freshmen are Megan Brooks from Aurora West High School and Chrissy Nagel from Belleville West High School.

The Huskies, whose season began in September, have gone 2-2 since the season restarted in January. NIU (3-2 overall) is riding a two-match winning streak, with victories over Creighton and Drake earlier in the month.

“I think we are ahead of where we have been at this point in the past,” Scott said.

After the match with Western, the Huskies won’t face another MAC opponent until March 26 with a home dual against Buffalo.

The Huskies lost Tanja Sukovic and Erica Heshelman to graduation last season. The two still are with the team as student assistants finishing their degrees.

Western Michigan is led by the reigning MAC Play of the Year Frederika Girsang. The Indonesia native returns for the senior season with the Broncos.

Last season, Savic played what she said was one of her best matches ever and took Girsang three sets before losing 6-4 in the final set.

“She’s a fantastic player,” Savic said. “I think if the team can come out with a win, it would be a huge confidence boost for everyone.”