BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois State women's tennis team captured seven wins on day one of the Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championships at the Bloomington Tennis Center in Bloomington, Illinois. The Redbirds went 5-1 in singles and 2-1 in doubles on Saturday.
Veronika Golanova and Jelena Karla Vujicic took on Alye Darter and Ellie Burger from Missouri State in flight one doubles, earning their first win of the tournament, 8-7(3). They will move on to play Drake's Tess Herder and Summer Brills in the semifinal round of the flight one doubles bracket.
"I'm happy with how we fought in doubles and came back from being down one match point," Golanova said. "My singles match was really tough, I had to stay mentally strong throughout the whole match, which paid off at the end of the second and third set."
Doubles partners Jana Kustkova and Ivon Mihaleva came up short to Bradley's Alexa Brandt and Malini Wijesinghe, 8-6. The duo will compete in the consolation bracket against Anelisse Torrico Moreno and Phoebe Boeschen from Missouri State.
Illinois State's flight three duo, Valerija Gercar and Laura Fitzgerald, successfully defeated Missouri State's Alexia Meyer and Fati Khamissi, 8-2. The tandem will take on Joely Lomas and Mela Jaglarz from Drake in the semifinals.
Doubles team, Golanova and Vujicic, stayed hot throughout the day, both claiming a singles and a doubles win in day one of the MVC Individual Championship.
Golanova defeated Sandra Maletin from Bradley in three sets, 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-0. She will move on in the singles flight one bracket to play Missouri State's Alye Darter. Vujicic topped Northern Iowa's Reghan Lynch in two sets, 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4.
Kustkova bested Dao Sysouvanh of Valparaiso in three sets to claim her spot in the singles flight three semifinals, 6-2, 7-6(4). Tomorrow, she will face Drake's Joely Lomas. Mihaleva took down UNI's Harri Proudfoot in two sets, 6-2, 6-4. She will compete against Kenya Williams from Drake tomorrow in the flight four singles semifinals.
Fitzgerald added another singles win to her first collegiate tournament season, against Valparaiso's Randi Wind, 6-4, 6-3. Tomorrow she will face Megan Webb from Drake. Gercar came up short in singles to Ellie Burger from Missouri State in two sets, 6-3, 6-0. She will play UNI's Valentina Caro.
Sunday's competition will begin at 9 a.m. at the Gregory Street Tennis courts in Normal, Illinois, weather permitting.
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