Men’s Tennis | September 11
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DeKALB, IL. – The Northern Illinois University men’s tennis schedule is set for the upcoming season with the Huskies beginning action this weekend at the River Forest Collegiate Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 12-13.
The Huskies will host UIC, Illinois State, Marquette, Western Michigan, Drake, Saint Louis and Washington University at the River Forest Tennis Club as well as the Oak Park Tennis Center.
Head coach René Vidal returns eight players from the 2024-25 season and brought in a pair of transfers to round out the roster.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the talent we have on this team and the makeup of our athletes as leaders and potential leaders,” Vidal said.
The River Forest Collegiate Invitational is one of four fall events for NIU this year and the only tournament the Huskies will host. They will travel for the remaining three, beginning with the Redbird Invitational from October 3–5, hosted by Illinois State. The final two events are the ITA Regional Championships, hosted by DePaul at XS Tennis Center from October 16–20, and the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships, October 24–26.
Senior Iker Gaztambide Arrastia (Pamplona, Spain) advanced to the semifinals of Flight A in the MAC Indoor Championships last fall.
The Huskies begin their spring dual match schedule at home on Friday, Jan. 23 against IU Indianapolis, followed by a road contest at Chicago State on Sunday, Jan. 25. After the brief road trip, NIU settles in for a two-week homestand, offering a packed slate of competition in DeKalb.
During that stretch, the Huskies will host Xavier on Jan. 31, Illinois State on Feb. 6, Roosevelt on Feb. 7, and Southern Illinois on Feb. 13. The homestand wraps up with a doubleheader on Feb. 15, featuring matchups against Omaha and UW-Whitewater.
Trips to Wisconsin on Saturday, Feb. 21 and Marquette on Sunday, Feb. 22 lead the Huskies into the conference season.
“The focus of Huskie tennis is always on what’s next. And right now that’s competing to dominate at River Forest this weekend,” said Vidal.
NIU begins Mid-American Conference play with three consecutive road matches, starting at UIC on Saturday, March 7. The Huskies continue their road stretch the following week with matchups against Western Michigan on Thursday, March 12, and Ball State on Saturday, March 14.
The Huskies have four consecutive home matches to close out March, hosting Buffalo (March 19), Toledo (March 21), UIC (March 28) and a non-conference set against Jusdon (March 28). Buffalo comes to DeKalb after winning the 2025 MAC regular season and tournament titles.
NIU closes the regular season with a pair of quick turnarounds, starting on the road at Buffalo on Thursday, April 2 and Toledo on Saturday, April 4 followed by home matches against Western Michigan on Thursday, April 9 and Ball State on Saturday, April 11 for the season finale.
The MAC Tournament is set for April 18-19, hosted by Buffalo.