PEORIA, Ill. – The Illinois State women's tennis team went 4-1 in doubles and 4-1 in singles to combine for 8-2 overall record on day one of the three-day Bradley Invitational Friday at the Markin Tennis Courts and Bradley Park Courts.
"Overall, it was a good first day," head coach Maja Kovacek said. "We didn't play our best, and we battled some nerves in our singles matches, but we came through in all but one. It was a long and physically challenging day, and I was happy that we were able to have good energy and team support until the end."
The Redbirds teamed up for a 4-1 doubles record, with two of Illinois State's three duos advancing to Saturday's semifinal round. Kadi Ilves and Marcia Tere-Apisah beat Aimee Manfredo and Emma Sodergren of Bradley, 8-2, in Friday's quarterfinal matchup. Ilves and Tere-Apisah will face Chicago State's Leshia Gadacz and Hanne Pangestu in the A Flight Doubles semifinals Saturday at 9 a.m.
In the B Flight Doubles quarterfinals, Chanel Scudiero and Catherine Shulman defeated Arianna Demos and Nicole Jones of Western Illinois, 8-2. Scudiero and Shulman will play Bradley's Alexa Brandt and Malini Wijesinghe in the B Flight Doubles semifinals, also scheduled to start Saturday at 9 a.m.
Newcomers Veronika Golanova and Jana Kustkova teamed up to win two of their three A Flight Doubles matches, and they will battle Sara Sherif and Rachel Swartwood of IUPUI in the A Flight Doubles consolation semifinals Saturday at 9 a.m.
"I really enjoyed playing with Jana," Golanova said. "We were a little bit nervous at the beginning, but with each match we got better, and in our last match, were more confident about our game. In singles, I started slower, but I improved my game during the match. I was tougher in tight moments, and I was winning most deuce points. Overall, it was a great day for the whole team, and I really enjoyed the team atmosphere and my first day as a Redbird."
Four Redbirds qualified for Saturday's singles quarterfinal round. In A Flight singles, Golanova beat Claudia Escribens of Purdue, 6-3, 6-3. In B Flight singles, Shulman defeated IUPUI's Brigitte Swartwood, 6-4, 7-5, Scudiero bested Ashley Thai of Bradley, 6-4, 2-6, 10-5, and Ilves topped Bradley's Emma Sodergren, 6-0, 7-5.
The Bradley Invitational resumes Saturday, beginning with doubles semifinal matches at 9 a.m., followed by singles quarterfinal matches at 10 a.m. For updates throughout the match, follow ISU women's tennis on Twitter: @RedbirdWTEN.
Illinois State Results
A Flight Doubles
Kadi Ilves/Marcia Tere-Apisah (Illinois State) def. Aimee Manfredo/Emma Sodergren (Bradley) 8-2
Kadi Ilves/Marcia Tere-Apisah will play Leshia Gadacz/Hanne Pangestu (Chicago State) in the A Flight Doubles semifinals Saturday
Veronika Golanova/Jana Kustkova (Illinois State) def. Sara Sherif/Rachel Swartwood (IUPUI), 8-5|
Leshia Gadacz/Hanne Pangestu (Chicago State) def. Veronika Golanova/Jana Kustkova (Illinois State), 8-4
Veronika Golanova/Jana Kustkova (Illinois State) def. Lorea Gamboa/Monica Pulgar (Chicago State), 8-5
Veronika Golanova/Jana Kustkova will play Sara Sherif/Rachel Swartwood (IUPUI) in the A Flight Doubles consolation semifinals Saturday
B Flight Doubles
Chanel Scudiero/Catherine Shulman (Illinois State) def. Arianna Demos/Nicole Jones (Western Illinois), 8-2
Chanel Scudiero/Catherine Shulman will play Alexa Brandt/Malini Wijesinghe (Bradley) in the B Flight Doubles semifinals Saturday
A Flight Singles
Ariel Dechter (Bradley) def. Marcia Tere-Apisah (Illinois State), 6-3, 6-4
Veronika Golanova (Illinois State) def. Claudia Escribens (Purdue), 6-3, 6-3
B Flight Singles
Catherine Shulman (Illinois State) def. Brigitte Swartwood (IUPUI), 6-4, 7-5
Chanel Scudiero (Illinois State) def. Ashley Thai (Bradley), 6-4, 2-6, 10-5
Kadi Ilves (Illinois State) def. Emma Sodergren (Bradley), 6-0, 7-5
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