Redbirds Complete Weekend Sweep with Win over Butler

RESULTS

NORMAL, Ill. – For the second-consecutive season, the Illinois State women's tennis team took down Butler, 6-1, Sunday afternoon at the Evergreen Racquet Club in Bloomington, Illinois to improve to 7-1 on the season.

"We had good discipline today and executed well," said head coach Maja Kovacek. "Overall, I'm happy with how we played this weekend."

ISU started off the afternoon strong, notching victories in No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to earn the doubles point for the second-straight match and the seventh time in its last eight matches. Marcia Tere-Apisah and Veronika Golanova led ISU to its first doubles victory Sunday. The duo beat Bailey Padgett and Konstantina Adami of Butler, 6-2. Shortly after, Kadi Ilves and Sarah Paulson clinched the doubles point for the Redbirds by defeating Kailey Eaton and Jocelyn Koester, 6-3. To conclude doubles play, Jana Kustkova and Catherine Shulman teamed up to earn a 6-3 victory over Jordan Minnick and Grace Hyde of Butler.

For the second-consecutive match, Shulman earned the first singles victory for the Redbirds by defeating Minnick in two quick sets, 6-0, 6-1. Ilves then beat Eaton, 6-2, 6-1. With the Redbirds up 3-0, needing only one more victory to clinch the win, Tere-Apisah pulled through for ISU to defeat Adami, 6-1, 6-2. Minutes after Tere-Apisah secured the win, Valerija Gercar topped Michelle McFerran in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3, to put the Redbirds ahead, 5-0. Golanova earned win number six for the Redbirds Sunday afternoon by defeating Padgett, 6-4, 7-6, to win her second-straight No. 1 singles match of the weekend.  

Through eight matches, the Redbirds are 35-7 in singles, 19-3 in doubles and 7-1 overall. Ilves (5-0) and Tere-Apisah (6-0) remain undefeated in singles for ISU.

The Redbirds will now be on the road for their next six matches. Next weekend, the team will travel south to Edwardsville, Illinois, to take on SIUE Sunday (Feb. 28) at 1 p.m. Before the Redbirds travel to the east coast for their spring break matches, they will head to Chicago to face DePaul March 5. The Redbirds then return home March 20 for their first outdoor match of the season. They will battle Wright State at the Gregory Street Tennis Courts at 4 p.m. For updates on ISU women's tennis, follow them on Twitter: @RedbirdWTEN.

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