VALPARAISO, Ind. – It was a very successful first day for Illinois State at the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championships, as every Redbird who competed advanced with wins Friday into the semifinals on Saturday in Valparaiso, Indiana.
"I'm really happy with how we adapted today," ISU head coach Maja Kovacek said. "It was the first time we competed indoors this fall, and we were able to adjust and be aggressive with our serves."
In the lone doubles match of the day, newcomer Alexandra Abyasova paired up with Laura Fitzgerald in Flight No. 3 to defeat the team of Jhaveri and McConnell from Valpo by a score of 8-6. The teams of Tijana Zlatanovic/Maria Potsi and Tara Damnjanovic/Penelope Abreu each received first-round byes and will play their first matches on Saturday.Â
Abyasova continued her strong play with a straight-set 6-4, 6-0 win over Drake's Daria Walczak in Flight No. 2. Damnajovic advanced to the semifinals in Flight No. 4 with a 6-3, 6-0 win over UNI's Andrijana Brkic. Elena Jankulovska cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 victory in Flight No. 5 over Angela Sou of Stony Brook and Othilia Brodin advanced in Flight No. 7.
Zlatanovic (No. 1), Potsi (No. 3) and Abreu (No. 6) received first-round byes in singles as well and will compete in the semifinals on Saturday.
RESULTS
Singles:
•   Flight No. 2 – Alexandra Abyasova (ISU) def. Daria Walczak (DU) 6-4, 6-0
•   Flight No. 4 – Tara Damjanovic (ISU) def. Andrijana Brkic (UNI) 6-3, 6-0
•   Flight No. 5 – Elena Jankulovska (ISU) def. Angela Sou (SB) 6-2, 6-0
•   Flight No. 7 – Othilia Brodin (ISU) def. Juliana Martinez (BU) 4-1 (Injury)
Doubles:
•   Flight No. 3 – Abyasova/Laura Fitzgerald (ISU) def. Jhaveri/McConnell (VALPO) 8-6
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