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MSU Women’s Tennis Opens Big Ten Home Action With Pair Of Matches This Weekend
3/12/2026 1:05:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Spartans face No. 39-ranked Iowa and Nebraska in a weekend of home play.
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State women's tennis opens their Big Ten conference home play with matches against Iowa on Friday, March 13 at 5 p.m. and Nebraska on Sunday, March 15 at 12 p.m. at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center.
Fans who can't make it out to the action in person can follow along with "Live Results" and "Watch Live" links available at MSUSpartans.com.
This set of B1G matches comes after a difficult pair of Big Ten matches against No. 2-ranked Ohio State, where the Spartans dropped their match, 6-1, and No. 38-ranked Penn State, where the Green & White fell, 4-2.
MSU goes into their weekend 7-5 in overall dual action play and 0-2 in Big Ten conference play.
Sophomore Ellie Blackford is currently ranked at No. 109 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) and looks to stay ranked through Big Ten play.
Series History vs. Iowa
In the past, the Spartans have struggled against the Hawkeyes, earning a 5-19 record since their first meeting during the 2001-02 season.
The Green & White are currently on a losing streak of six against Iowa, most recently falling in a 4-1 defeat last season on Iowa's home turf.
MSU looks for their first victory against Iowa since the 2018-19 season that took place in East Lansing, where the Spartans triumphed, 4-3.
Scouting Iowa
No. 39-ranked Iowa goes into their match against the Spartans 8-5, with a 2-0 Big Ten conference record, defeating both Northwestern and Illinois in close battles.
The Hawkeyes hold strong with rankings in both singles and doubles by the ITA.
Junior Mia Mack earned a No. 87 ranking with an overall 8-2 record. Mack also earned a No. 25 doubles ranking with senior Daianne Hayashida.
Ranked No. 90 by ITA is the tandem of Hayashida and fellow senior Tereza Dejnozkova.
The Green & White have their work cut out for them, looking for their first win in over seven years against the Hawkeyes.
Series History vs. Nebraska
During the previous 2024-25 season, the Spartans upset No. 44-ranked Nebraska for Coach Bruno's No. 100 career win. This served as the Spartans' first victory against the Huskers in Lincoln, Neb., since the 2017-18 season, and their first ranked upset of the 2024-25 season.
Overall, the matchup stands toe-to-toe, with MSU holding a 7-5 record against Nebraska since 2012.
Singles wins from senior Matilde Morais, sophomore Ellie Blackford and redshirt-junior Oriana Parkins-Godwin secured the most recent win for the Spartans, and they look to repeat the team success from the most recent matchup.
Scouting Nebraska
The Huskers hold a similar record to the Spartans, earning a 7-4 overall record and an 0-2 conference record.
Nebraska fell to Illinois and Northwestern in trialing contests, ultimately dropping both matches.
Before facing MSU, the Huskers travel to Ann Arbor to face the No. 40-ranked Michigan Wolverines on Friday, March 13.
Up Next
The Green & White remain home for a set of matches against Big Ten west coast opponents, facing USC on Saturday, March 21, at 12 p.m. and UCLA on Sunday, March 22, at 12 p.m.
Fans can keep up to date with Spartan women's tennis on Instagram, X and Facebook by following @msu_wtennis.
