NORMAL, Ill. – Following their first loss of the spring last weekend, Illinois State women's tennis returns home for a midweek matchup against Northern Illinois Wednesday. First serve is set for noon at the Evergreen Racquet Club.
The Redbirds (3-1) would drop their first result of the spring, a 5-2 loss to Illinois, last Sunday. However, the Redbirds saw both Nevena Kolarevic and Tara Damnjanovic pick up hard-fought wins in singles against the Illini. Â
"We expect a tough battle tomorrow and our players will need to use all the tools they have in their game to come out on top," ISU head coach Maja Kovacek said.
Kolarevic rallied at the No. 3 spot after dropping the first set to Illinois' Kasia Treiber to win the next set 6-3 and then the third deciding set 7-5 to pick up the win. Damnjanovic's victory at No. 4 was less stressful, as she rolled to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Violeta Martinez. However, the Illini picked up wins on the other four courts to come away with the 5-2 victory.
Northern Illinois (4-5) was in action last Saturday as they hosted a pair of fellow MVC teams in Valparaiso and UNI. The Huskies would drop a close 4-3 result to the Beacons before picking up a 6-1 win over the Panthers to end the day.
Nataly Ninova is leading the way for NIU in singles, as she has gone 8-1 in dual matches as she has won her last six matches. For doubles, it is the pairing of Ninova and Reagan Welch who hold the best dual record, going 5-3 this spring including winning their last three matches.
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