March 30, 2012
Box Score
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State women's tennis team (7-9, 1-0 MVC) swept I-74 rival Bradley Friday during the first Missouri Valley Conference match of the regular season, 7-0.
"Everyone did very well today," said head coach Chris Hoover. "Teams hope to start conference play with a win, so it was nice we were able to do that. On top of that, we won every match we played. I'm very proud of the level that the team played at today."
Illinois State posted the first point after over-powering Bradley in doubles, 3-0. Stefanie Youngberg and Hannah Esker made quick work of opponents Elizabeth Przystawsk and Corey Mattson, sweeping BU in the No.3 position, 8-0. After falling in the first three sets, Aniko Kiss and Emmie Marx made a comeback against Adele Henks and Meredith McDonagh, winning the match in flight one, 8-4. Phyllis Tigges and Ariane Maack posted a win over Sarah Rodefeld and Carly Milies, downing the Braves, 8-2.
Winning matches in every flight, the Redbirds dominated singles play. Both Kiss and Maack held their opponents to only two games throughout the match, with Kiss posting a victory over Rodefeld at No.1, 6-1, 6-1, and Maack defeating McDonagh, 6-0, 6-2. Marx and Esker both held their opponent to three; Marx posted a win of 6-2, 6-1 over Przystawsk, and Esker over Mattson, 6-2, 6-1. Tigges posted a victory over Adele Henke after two back-and-forth sets, 6-3, 6-1. Carolina Abello posted the final point for the Redbirds, sealing the victory after wearing down BU opponent Cassia Wojtalik, 7-5, 6-1.
"I couldn't be happier," said Hoover. "We had the opportunity to work on our outdoor play, took our first win over a conference team, and finally the results from all our practices showed."
The Redbirds hit the road to continue MVC play on April 7 against Drake in Des Moines, Iowa. ISU heads to the courts at 1 p.m. CT.
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