In a hard fought match, Illinois State fell to Northern Iowa in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, Friday at McCormick Courts.
In doubles, Illinois State was unable to gain the team point. The single win came from the dynamic duo of Liina Suurvarik and Alesia Mikalayeva who defeated Northern Iowas Kylene Wong and Jessica Landes, 8-3 at the No.1 position.
In singles, Illinois State split the points. Team strongholds Liina Suurvarik, Alesia Mikalayeva, and Laura Gravino were all able to find a win.
Last on the courts was Redbird Shelby Lipson, going head to head with Northern Iowas Carrie Amsbaugh. Lipson lost the first set, and was down 5-2 in the second set when all other matches ended. With a strong showing of heart and determination, and with the support of all her teammates watching from courtside, Lipson battled back, bringing the set to within one point before falling to Amsbaugh. Coach Hoover was proud of the teams effort.
We gave it a good go, said Hoover. Now we need to focus on tomorrows match.
The Birds next take to McCormick Courts at 3 p.m. on Saturday in a consolation match.
In other action, Evansville beat Bradley (4-0), then fell to Southwest Missouri State (4-0) in the quarterfinal round. Drake advanced to the semifinals against SMS with a 4-2 over Wichita State while Indiana State defeated Creighton (4-0) to play Northern Iowa in the semis.
Full tournament results are available online at www.redbirds.org/WT/ValleyResults.html.
