Redbirds Cap Off Regular Season With 5-2 Win Over Bradley

PEORIA, Ill. – In the regular season finale, Illinois State traveled west on I-74 to take on rival Bradley on Sunday with MVC Tournament seeding implications at stake. The Redbirds (16-6, 5-2 MVC) took an early lead and never looked back as they picked up a win over the Braves (9-12, 4-3 MVC) at the Markin Tennis Courts.

The Redbirds took the early advantage by winning the doubles point, thanks to victories on courts 1 and 2. The No. 1 tandem of No. 1 Vittoria Benedetti and Silvia Pomarolli earned a 6-4 win over Bradley's Valeriia Ivanovskaia and Ann Hsieh, while the 
No. 2 team of Nicole Iosio and Nuria Sanz defeated Anna Belogliadova and Compassion Tsai by a final of 6-4 to secure the doubles point.

In singles action, ISU won four of six matches to cruise to the 5-2 win. On court No. 1, Pomarolli took down Ivanovskaia by a score of 7-6 (4), 6-1 and at the No. 3 spot, Benedetti earned a hard-fought three-set win over Mariia Pukhina 7-5, 5-7, 6-1. Iosio rolled to a 6-1, 6-2 victory at the No. 4 spot over Belogliadova and Sanz rounded out the Redbird wins at the No. 5 spot over Hsieh by a score of 7-6 (5), 6-0. 

UP NEXT:
The Redbirds claimed the No. 2 seed in the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Tennis Championship, after finishing tied with Murray State at 5-2 in conference play and earning the tiebreaker. The Redbirds received a bye into the semifinals on Saturday, April 25, at 2 p.m. in Chicago, and will take on the winner of the No. 3 Murray State/No. 6 Belmont quarterfinal matchup which is scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m. CT.

FINAL SCORE: Illinois State (5), Bradley (2)

Doubles: 
No. 1 Vittoria Benedetti/Silvia Pomarolli (ILS) def. Valeriia Ivanovskaia/Ann Hsieh (BU) 6-4
No. 2 Nicole Iosio/Nuria Sanz (ILS) def. Anna Belogliadova/Compassion Tsai (BU) 6-4
No. 3 Mariia Pukhina/Amber Sharp (BU) def. Emma Lindh/Lana Caculovic (ILS) 6-4

Singles:
No. 1 Silvia Pomarolli (ILS) def. Valeriia Ivanovskaia (BU) 7-6 (4), 6-1
No. 2 Ruby Tseng (BU) def. Lana Caculovic (ILS) 6-0, 6-4
No. 3 Vittoria Benedetti (ILS) def. Mariia Pukhina (BU) 7-5, 5-7, 6-1
No. 4 Nicole Iosio (ILS) def. Anna Belogliadova (BU) 6-1, 6-2
No. 5 Nuria Sanz (ILS) def. Ann Hsieh (BU) 7-6 (5), 6-0
No. 6 Amber Sharp (BU) def. Emma Lindh (ILS) 7-5, 0-6, 7-6 (1)

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