Expect the balls to be flying a bit differently this weekend as the NIU women’s tennis team plays in the United States Air Force Academy Invitational.

The tournament will begin Friday and run through Sunday.

The invitational will take place in Colorado Springs, Colo., where the altitude is unusually high, prompting the use of special high altitude tennis balls. The balls are pressureless, which keeps them from carrying away in the thin-air conditions.

“The girls will have to adjust to using and playing with the high altitude ball,” coach Laura Scott said. “They don’t know what they have in store for them. But we do have Danny Martinez to help us get used to it.”

A sophomore, Martinez has used the ball in the past when she competed in tournaments in Mexico City.

Perhaps even scarier than the altered conditions is the extremely tough competition the Huskies will face. Among the eight teams competing, there are some big name schools, including the University of Colorado, University of Washington and the University of Oklahoma.

“It’s a big-time tournament, as big as they get really,” Scott said. “I just wanted to get our girls out of the region for a new experience, and to get some very good competition.”

Scott is hoping to find that tough tournaments translate into better play.

“With these tournaments early on, it can give our girls confidence when they return home and play opponents back here,” Scott said. “These tournaments allow the players to see where they are, the progress they have made and the progress they still need to make. They can be very valuable to us.”