The Hawkeye women’s tennis team will take the courts to tackle a fierce No. 7 Northwestern squad at 3:30 p.m. today. Then, on March 10, they will head back to the courts at noon to take on No. 37 Illinois.

Head coach Katie Dougherty’s team has been on the cusp of knocking off a ranked team numerous times this season, and now that conference play has started, there has never been a better time for an upset, she said.

Junior Ruth Seaborne is part of an undefeated doubles team with partner sophomore Morven McCulloch. They believe they know what must be done to keep the perfect record alive.

Both matches provide the Hawkeyes the opportunity to make a statement and let the rest of the conference know they not a team to be overlooked.

Sophomore Shelby Talcott has been playing well of late, and she said she knows how big it would be to walk away with from the weekend with a conference victory under the team’s belt.