NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's tennis team defeated Bradley 4-0 to move on to the championship round of the MVC Tournament. The Redbirds will compete again on Sunday, April 28 at 10 a.m. and will play the winner of the Stony Brook/Missouri State match.
The No. 2 Doubles Team of the Year, Jana Kustkova and Laura Fitzgerald were the first on the board for the 'Birds, taking down Bozana Lojpur/Nikki Perlwitz 6-1. Natalia Bravo and Ivon Mihaleva secured the doubles point with a victory over Malini Wijesinghe/Lindsay Haight 6-3. Mihaleva stayed hot into the singles matches, defeating Nikki Perlwitz 6-2, 6-0. Next was Fitzgerald, who took down Nina Marjanovic 6-3, 7-5. Kustkova clinched the match for the Redbirds with a win over Natalia Barbery 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.
"Bradley has always been a tough team to play against, so it made it special to clinch the win today," said Kustkova after securing the winning point. "We all worked together today and were able to reach the finals with a 4-0 win. I am so proud of my team"
Redbirds Scoring Breakdown:
Singles competition
1. Veronika Golanova (ISU) vs. Sandra Maletin (BU) 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 DNF
2. Tara Damnjanovic (ISU) vs. Bozana Lojpur (BU) 7-6, 4-3, DNF
3. Natalia Bravo (ISU) def. Malini Wijesinghe (BU) 6-2, 3-5 DNF
4. Jana Kustkova (ISU) def. Natalia Barbery (BU) def. 6-2, 2-6, 6-2
5. Laura Fitzgerald (ISU) def. Nina Marjanovic (BU) 6-3, 7-5
6. Ivon Mihaleva (ISU) def. Nikki Perlwitz (BU) 6-2, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Veronika Golanova/ Tara Damnjanovic (ILST) vs. Sandra Maletin/Natalia Barbery (BU) 4-4 DNF
2. Jana Kustkova/Laura Fitzgerald (ILST) def. Bozana Lojpur/Nikki Perlwitz (BU) 6-1
3. Natalia Bravo/Ivon Mihaleva (ILST) def. Malini Wijesinghe/Lindsay Haight (BU) 6-3
Thoughts from Coach Maja Kovacek:
"We came out and did a great job in doubles today. That was our focus since last time we played against Bradley there were things that we did not do well enough. Singles were a tough battle as well and I'm really happy with everyone's effort. They were confident and played good tennis in high pressure situations."
Up Next: The Redbirds will play in the championship match on Sunday, April 28, with the doubles matches beginning at 10 a.m.
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