IRVINE, Calif. – The Illinois State women's tennis team finished up their three-game road defeating UC Irvine 4-1 on Thursday, March 14. The Redbirds went 2-1 during their trip to California.
The 'Birds began the match on a hot streak as junior Natalia Bravo and sophomore Ivon Mihaleva downed Arianna Tilbury and Alyssia Fossorier 6-0 in No. 3 singles. Senior Jana Kustkova and sophomore Laura Fitzgerald defeated Stephanie Nguyen and Jessica Tsukiji 6-4 to seal the doubles point. Senior Veronika Golanova, Mihaleva and Fitzgerald all won their singles matches tosecure the win for the 'Birds.
Mihaleva was a key player for the team this week, winning all three of her singles matches and going 2-1 in doubles play. She was a cornerstone at the No. 6 spot and was instrumental in the two wins the Redbirds picked up.
Redbirds Scoring Breakdown:
Singles competition
1. Veronika Golanova (ILST) def. Stephanie Hazell (UCI) 2-6, 6-0, 6-2
2. Tara Damnjanovic (ILST) def. Stephanie Nguyen (UCI) 4-6, 1-0 DNF
3. Jana Kustkova (ILST) def. Fiori Amiri (UCI) 6-1, 6-1,
4. Natalia Bravo (ILST) def. Jessica Tsukiji (UCI) 7-6 (3) 0-5
5. Laura Fitzgerald (ILST) vs. Arianna Tilbury (UCI) 6-4, 6-2
6. Ivon Mihaleva (ILST) vs. Jacqueline Tsodikova (UCI) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Stephanie Hazell/ Fiori Amiri (UCI) vs. Veronika Golanova/Jana Kustkova (ILST) 6-5 DNF
2. Tara Damnjanovic/Natalia Bravo (ILST) def. Stephanie Nguyen/Jessica Tsukiji (UCI) 6-4
3. Laura Fitzgerald/Ivon Mihaleva (ILST) def. Arianna Tilbury/Alyssia Fossorier (UCI) 6-0
Thoughts from Coach Maja Kovacek:
"I'm so proud of how we responded to yesterday's loss. It was one of the tough ones, we were two points away from winning the match against Riverside and we knew today was going to be a battle as well. We had great energy in doubles, played well in all three spots and that really helped us."
Up Next: The Redbirds return home to begin conference play against Bradley on Saturday, March 30 at 1 p.m.
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