CHICAGO – The Illinois State women's tennis team defeated Chicago State, 7-0, completing their first sweep of the season. The victory brings the Redbirds' record to 2-1 on the spring season.
Freshman Elena Jankulovska battled her way to her first singles win as a Redbird. Jankulovska fell behind to CSU's Katarina Dukic at the No. 5 spot, but then fought back with a win in a close second set, 7-5. She then fought tooth-and-nail to win a tight tie breaker, 13-11.
After taking the doubles point, the Redbirds went to work in the singles matches. Senior Laura Arciniegas was the first to earn a point, taking down Isidora Hrnjak 6-1, 6-2 in the No. 6 spot. Junior Ivon Mihaleva was next at No. 4, defeating Lizi Morogoshia by a final of 6-1, 6-4. Sophomore Tara Damnjanovic clinched the match for the Redbirds in the No. 1 slot, defeating Kristina Pukhaeva by a score of 6-2, 6-2.
"I am extremely happy that everyone could pull out a win today," Mihaleva said when asked about the Redbirds' first sweep of the season. "I thought we performed very well as a whole and managed to get to 4-0 relatively quick, which took off pressure from the rest of the girls who were still playing. I have been struggling with parts of my game for a while now, but today's match definitely showed improvement."
Illinois State 7, Chicago State 0
Singles competition:
1. Tara Damnjanovic (ILST) def. Kristina Pukhaeva (CSU) 6-2, 6-2
2. Natalia Bravo (ILST) def. Katarina Drazic (CSU) 6-3, 6-7 (3), 10-7
3. Laura Fitzgerald (ILST) def. Diana Borodina (CSU) 4-6, 6-2, 10-8
4. Ivon Mihaleva (ILST) def. Lizi Morogoshia (CSU) 6-1, 6-4
5. Elena Jankulovska (ILST) def. Katarina Dukic (CSU) 4-6, 7-5, 13-11
6. Laura Arciniegas (ILST) def. Isidora Hrnjak (CSU) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles competition:
1. Tara Damnjanovic/Natalia Bravo (ILST) vs. Diana Borodina/Kristina Pukhaeva (CSU) 4-5 (DNF)
2. Laura Fitzgerald/Elana Jankulovska (ILST) def. Katarina Dukic/Susana Andres (CSU) 6-2
3. Elena Jankulovska/Ivon Mihaleva (ILST) def. Katerina Drazic/Lizi Morogoshia (CSU) 6-1
Thoughts from Coach Maja Kovacek:
"I'm really happy with Ivon and Laura Arciniegas and their performance in doubles. It's a new pairing we hadn't practiced a whole lot, so it was great to see them playing well and helping us take the lead early on."
Up Next: The Redbirds are back at home to take on UIC this Sunday, February 2, at 10 a.m. at the Bloomington Tennis Center.
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