March 27, 2008
Final Stats
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -
Junior Tanja Hrovatic and freshman Katie O'Riley helped the Redbirds close a 4-3 victory over Saint Louis with their win at the No. 3 doubles spot Thursday in Bloomington, Ill., at the Evergreen Racquet Club. The win pushed the Redbirds to 7-7 overall and 1-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while the Billikens dropped to 9-8 on the season.
As head coach Chris Hoover predicted earlier in the season, the win came down to the Redbirds earning the doubles point.
"I don't think we played at our best, but the important thing is we found a way to win," said Hoover. "Earning the doubles point was really important for us because we really didn't play that well at the Nos. 2, 4 and 6 singles spots."
The `Birds were able to win the doubles point with Hrovatic and O'Riley securing their win over Tara Grant and Rachel McCullagh, 8-3. Senior Véronique Parke-Bédard and senior Katri Miller also beat Casey Miller and Amanda Hellberg, 8-2, at the No. 1 doubles spot. Junior Julia Zubkova and senior Carolyne Parent fell to Joe Becker and Hailee Elmore, 8-2, in the No. 2 position.
In singles play, the Redbirds earned wins at the No. 1, 3 and 5 spots, while they fell in the other three positions. Miller topped Hellberg, 6-0, 6-2, at the No. 1 spot, and Parke-Bedard competed at the No. 3 spot, besting Miller, 6-0, 6-1. Hrovatic earned ISU's last singles point with a victory over Grant, 6-2, 6-3, in the No. 5 position.
Parent lost in the only tiebreaking set of the match against Becker, 6-0, 5-7 (10-7), at the No. 4 spot. Zubkova ended her five-match winning streak with a loss against Haillee Elmore, 6-1, 6-3, at the No. 2 spot, while O'Riley lost to McCullagh, 6-4, 6-1, in flight No. 6.
The Redbirds are set to host in-state rival Bradley on Friday. The match is set to begin at 3 p.m. on The Gregory Street Tennis Courts, unless weather forces the match indoors to the Evergreen Racquet Club in Bloomington, Ill.
