Even after a tough loss in its season opener against Illinois Saturday, the Marquette women's tennis team is confident that the next time it takes the court, the outcome will be different.

The Golden Eagles will take on the Northern Illinois Huskies this Saturday at the Helfaer Tennis Stadium at 11a.m.

"Illinois is always a tough team to play," sophomore Callan Smith said.

"It was our first match playing together this spring. But we are extremely confident … We know we are going to do well."

According to sophomore Dominika Dabrowski, despite the 0-7 loss to Illinois, the Golden Eagles played well as a team last weekend.

"We are already playing better than we did in the fall," Dabrowski said. "We are just going to try our best to beat Northern, and we should."

During last year's season, the women defeated the Huskies in a close 4-3 victory. Dabrowski and Smith topped their opponents, 8-0 in No. 3 doubles. Despite their win, the Golden Eagles suffered a disappointing loss in the doubles point. But in singles play, the women came out strong and took four of the six singles matches, sealing the victory for Marquette.

"There is always pressure to win," Callan said, "but knowing that we beat this team last year is not going to change what we do on the court. We know we can beat them and we're going to play like it's just another match to win."

The Golden Eagles have been putting in lots of hours on and off the court to prepare for their next match, Smith said.

"We practice match situations and condition everyday," added Dabrowski. "Our team has very good physical strength which we can use to our advantage in long matches."

Even though the team has the confidence to win and the ability to play, this year's squad is young.

After losing four seniors last spring, the team is now made up of five sophomores and three freshmen.

"We are a young team, and we have to learn to adapt to what our coach expects of us," Dabrowski said. "Tennis can be an individual sport, and we all need to learn how to be part of a team."

Smith believes experience will help the team overcome the youth factor, and he holds similar views on the importance of playing as a team.

"We have a long time together on this team and we have the time to get better and improve," she said. "We'll be able to learn each others' games and get used to how each of us plays.

"As the season goes on, whether we win or lose, we will improve as a team."

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Jan. 27 2005.