CHICAGO – For the first time since 2022, Illinois State has punched its ticket to the NCAA tournament after the No. 2 seeded Redbirds (18-6) defeated the No. 5 seeded Drake Bulldogs with a 4-0 sweep in the title match of the 2026 MVC Women's Tennis Championship hosted by UIC at the XS Tennis Village in Chicago.
The MVC team championship is the seventh for the Redbirds in program history and the first since 2022, when ISU also defeated Drake and then went on to compete in the NCAA Regional at Ohio State. The Redbirds will be making their third NCAA Tournament appearance under the leadership of head coach Maja Kovacek, who has also led ISU to three regular-season MVC titles in her tenure.
The Redbirds took the early lead by winning the doubles point over the Bulldogs. Drake came into the match shorthanded with injuries and did not a field a team at No. 3 doubles, which gave ISU a quick advantage. The No. 2 tandem of Nicole Iosio and Nuria Sanz then clinched the first point of the match with a 6-1 defeat of Kristina Tai and Shiori Takeda.
As the action moved to singles play, the Bulldogs were once again unable to field a player at the No. 6 spot so ISU took a 2-0 lead in the match. The next point was won by Nicole Iosio at the No. 5 spot, as she picked up a quick 6-1, 6-2 victory over Milana Dejanovic to make it 3-0. The match was then won by Vittoria Benedetti at No. 3, as she defeated Takeda by a score of 6-3, 6-4 to secure the championship for the Redbirds.
The Redbirds will find out where they will head for the 2026 NCAA Division I women's tennis team championship via a selection show livestreamed on NCAA.com on Monday, April 27, at 3:30 p.m. CT. First round play begins Friday, May 1, with the championship set for Sunday, May 17, at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia.
The championship is a 64-team, single-elimination tournament. First- and second-round competition will be conducted at a minimum of 16 sites, with four teams at each site. Thirty conference champions receive automatic qualification into the team championships.
FINAL SCORE: No. 2 Illinois State (4), No. 5 Drake (0)
Doubles:
No. 1 Vittoria Benedetti/Silvia Pomarolli (ILS) vs. Maja Dodik/Jordane Dookie (DU) 3-3 unfinished
No. 2 Nicole Iosio/Nuria Sanz (ILS) def. Kristina Tai/Shiori Takeda (DU) 6-1
No. 3 Lana Caculovic/Emma Lindh (ILS) won by withdrawal
Singles:
No. 1 Maja Dodik (DU) vs. Silvia Pomarolli (ILS) 7-6 (2), 0-0 unfinished
No. 2 Kristina Tai (DU) vs. Lana Caculovic (ILS) 7-6 (4), 4-1 unfinished
No. 3 Vittoria Benedetti (ILS) def. Shiori Takeda (DU) 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 Jordane Dookie (DU) vs. Nuria Sanz (ILS) 7-5, 3-3 unfinished
No. 5 Nicole Iosio (ILS) def. Milana Dejanovic (DU) 6-1, 6-2
No. 6 Emma Lindh (ILS) won by withdrawal
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