The Hawkeye men’s tennis team is back in action, starting Saturday at noon against nationally ranked Illinois, then Northwestern followed by South Dakota State on April 1. All matches will be hosted at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex.

After losing its last two matches, Iowa practiced as usual, preparing to host its seventh ranked opponent this season, No. 7 Illinois. The Illini have a 12-5 record and are undefeated in their three conference matchups.

Even with a ranked team circled on the schedule, it’s business as usual for head coach Ross Wilson and his squad.

“We’ve stuck to the same plan, we’ve stuck to the same practice regimen,” Wilson said. “We’re working on the same things in practice — the guys are playing well … but there’s no need to change anything or do anything drastic.”

Illinois boasts a handful of ranked players. Leading the Illini is senior Aleks Vukic, ranked No. 20 nationally in singles. Following him are No. 59 freshman Alex Brown and No. 103 senior Aron Hiltzik. Vukic and Hiltzik are also No. 47 in doubles.

Since the beginning of Wilson’s time as head coach, the Hawkeyes have yet to beat the Illini. Iowa last fell, 6-1, to Illinois on April 8, 2017, in Urbana-Champaign.

“They’re going to be tough,” Wilson said. “But we’ve played that level this year. Guys have been playing against [Illinois] on our team, some of them for four years, so we’ve seen their guys a lot.”

The Hawkeyes look forward to another conference matchup Easter morning against Northwestern. The Wildcats enter the weekend with a 6-10 record, 1-1 in conference competition.

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Northwestern will also bring a few ranked players to the court.

No. 115 freshman Antonioni Fasano is the only player in singles rankings. The freshman lost two of his last four matches and has an 8-10 season record.

The Wildcats claim the No. 56 spot in doubles with junior Ben Vandixhorn and sophomore Dominik Stary. The tandem has a 9-10 record with seven wins but none in the Big Ten.

The last time Iowa overcame Northwestern was on April 18, 2010, when the Hawkeyes pulled out a 6-1 victory at home.

Before taking on the Hawkeyes, the Wildcats will play Nebraska tonight in Lincoln.

Last on the schedule for Iowa is South Dakota State with two matches Sunday afternoon.

The Jackrabbits travel here for their first matchup against the Hawkeyes. The team enters the weekend winless in 12 matches this season.

The Hawkeyes have only dropped the doubles point in five matches this season, with two coming in their previous matches. Iowa is 8-3 in home matches this season, and Wilson hopes playing in front of a home crowd will generate a winning atmosphere.

“Obviously, you can tell by our records,” he said. “In any team’s records, in any sport, whether it’s professional or college, I don’t care what sport it is, you win more at home. It’s definitely an advantage.”