Avenging a 4-3 loss last season in the championship match of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, the Illinois State womens tennis team defeated Drake, 4-3, Sunday afternoon at McCormick Courts.
This match was a lot like the conference when it was 4-3 and we lost, sophomore Alesia Mikalayeva said. Playing at home helps, having friends here to cheer for us. In the beginning I thought we would have 100 percent wins, but then I looked at the scores in the first set and realized that it would be hard. But, everyone stayed tough.
The Redbirds, No. 69 in the most recent ITA poll, had a 1-0 cushion going into singles as they swept the doubles matches. At No. 1, Mikalayeva and Liina Suurvarik topped Cecily Dubusker and Rajasree Kuruvilla 8-4 while Alana Hoffman and Zana Friganovic beat Annali de Bruyn and Cindy Skogerboe 8-3 at No. 2.
Shelby Lipson and Brigette Zarazee fell behind early in the match and seesawed their way to an 8-6 victory over Jenny Saluri and Marie Minil in the third spot.
The two seniors earned two of the three singles points for the Birds. Friganovic handed a loss to Skogerboe at No. 3, 6-4, 6-1 while Zarazee had an easier match at No. 6 with Marie Minil, 6-2, 6-1.
With the score knotted at 3-3, the decisive match came at No. 1 singles. Mikalayeva dropped her first set to Dubusker 4-6 before taking the second 6-4 and throwing a shutout in the third, 6-0, to seal the Redbird victory.
When you have to pull it out like that, it can be good for you, head coach
Chris Hoover said. Weve had consistent play at the top of the singles lineup but we have been struggling at 4, 5 and 6. We need to step up in the middle and bottom to take some of the pressure off the top.
The victory on Senior Day marked head coach Chris Hoovers 100th career win and pushed the ISU record to 14-5 overall and 5-0 in the Valley.
It took a whole lot longer than I thought it would to get here, said Hoover after being soaked by a water cooler. My biggest hope is that it doesnt take as long to get my second 100.
ISU returns to action next Friday at Evansville before travelling to Southern Illinois on Saturday.
Illinois State 4 Drake 3
April 8, 2001 McCormick Courts
Singles
1.
Alesia Mikalayeva (ISU) def. Cecily Dubusker (DU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-0
2. Annali de Bruyn (DU) def.
Liina Suurvarik (ISU) 6-4, 7-5
3.
Zana Friganovic (ISU) def. Cindy Skogerboe (DU) 6-4, 6-2
4. Rajasree Kuruvilla (DU) def.
Elizabeth Bingier (ISU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Jenny Saluri (DU) def.
Shelby Lipson (ISU) 6-2, 6-3
6.
Brigette Zarazee (ISU) def. Marie Minil (DU) 6-2, 6-1
Doubles
1. Mikalayeva/Suurvarik (ISU) def. Dubusker/Kuruvilla (DU) 8-4
2. Alana Hoffman/Friganovic (ISU) def. de Bruyn/Skogerboe (DU) 8-3
3. Lipson/Zarazee (ISU) def. Saluri/Minil (DU) 8-6
