Much like two weekends ago, the NIU women’s tennis team will have a prime opportunity to prove its mettle to the tennis community as it takes part in the Mid-American Conference Fall Invitational, beginning today.

After a solid showing at the ITA Midwest Regionals, Oct. 25-28, the Huskies travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., and the campus of Western Michigan University for the invitational.

The invitational will feature seven singles flights and three doubles flights. Adding to the excitement, a blind draw is going to be held this morning to determine seeding and brackets.

“It’s been going good,” said coach Laura Scott of the Huskies’ preparation for the invitational. “Usually this time of the year it’s pretty tough because we’ve been going for a long time. But they’re all excited to play because it’s a great tournament for us. They’re ready to go and in good shape, which is the most important thing.”

Looking to continue an impressive sophomore season will be Branka Savic. The 5-foot-10 southpaw posted a 3-1 mark at the regionals as she advanced to the main draw, improving her season record to a Huskie-best 8-1.

The Huskies are not lacking in confidence as they get ready to take on the MAC’s best.

“We all have the ability to win our draws,” said sophomore Karrie Tyioran, who will once again team up with junior Tanja Sukovic. “We just need to play like we do in practice. Sometimes we get a little nervous.”

With the conference season coming up in the spring, the Huskies are looking to give the rest of the MAC something to remember them by this weekend.

“We want to be in sync on the court,” said senior Molly Opel, hooking up with fellow senior Kris Tiedt this weekend. “We want to be seen by other teams in the conference and show everybody what we are capable of and what we can bring.

“We’ve been working on a lot of things in practice that should really help our performance, such as closing on the ball and controlling the net. I hope everyone can step up to the level they can play at.”