NIU women’s tennis (5-2) defeated the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers (2-2) in a 4-0 victory, before a 6-1 loss against the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers (3-1) on Friday.
“We competed really well across the board,” said NIU women’s tennis head coach Eric Burns. “The first match was a good, solid match for us. The second match that we lost, the intensity level rose to another level. We just really competed in that match. We didn’t get the match ultimately, but it’s a top 30 team. We did get a good win at No. 4 singles, and we went three sets at No. 5, a close two setter at No. 6 and were leading at No. 3 doubles when the doubles point was clinched. We feel really good about the effort all day and are just happy to be 5-2 and on our way back to DeKalb.”
MILWAUKEE
The Huskies were victorious in two doubles matches, clinching the first point of the match.
Senior Reagan Welch and junior Jenna Horne took a 6-3 set against Panthers freshman Elisa Rubio and junior Sara Simonova.
In a 6-1 defeat, senior Maria Dzemeshkevich and junior Nataly Ninova bested junior Nadiia Konieva and freshman Nikola Nikolajeva.
Junior Isabella Righi and freshman Lucia Yecora lost a 6-2 match against sophomore Emilia Durska and senior Giorgia Cavestro.
NIU won three singles matches to seal the victory, leaving three matches unfinished.
Horne swept freshman Honoka Yamashita without conceding a game, taking two decisive 6-0 set victories.
Welch defeated Rubio in dominant 6-1, 6-4 sets, while Ninova won 6-2, 6-0 sets against Simonova to clinch the match for the Huskies.
Dzemeshkevich dropped a 6-1 set against Nikolajeva, before leading a 5-3 set when the match was called.
Yecora lost a 6-3 first set against Durska before taking a 6-4 second set before the conclusion of the match.
After taking a 6-4 first set, freshman Irmak Budak was down in a 5-2 second set against Konieva when the match was ruled unfinished.
MADISON
The Huskies conceded the doubles point, before taking one singles match against the Badgers.
Ninova and Dzemeshkevich were bested by senior Ariel Johnson and junior Maria Sholokhova in a 6-2 set.
Yecora and Righi were defeated by Badgers freshman Ekaterina Ivanova and sophomore Ellison Reynoldson in a 6-2 loss.
Horne and Welch were up 5-3 against senior Taylor Cataldi and freshman Parker Christensen when the doubles point was clinched by the Badgers.
In two straight 6-1 sets, Ninova was bested by Ivanova while Dzemeshkevich was routed by Sholokhova in 6-1, 6-0 sets.
Horne was defeated by Johnson in 6-4, 6-3 sets. Budak dropped a 6-0 first set against Catlaldi, before losing the match in a 6-4 second set.
Welch lost a 6-4 first set against sophomore Kája Jacobson before coming back to take a 7-5 second set. In the tiebreaker set, Welch was overpowered 10-5 to concede the match.
Yecora avoided the sweep for the Huskies, earning the Huskies’ only point against the Badgers. Yecora took a 6-4 second set after dropping a 7-5 set against Reynoldson. In the tiebreaker, Yecora took a 10-3 to seal the victory.
UP NEXT
“We’ve got a good Western Illinois team that’s improved from last year and the past years coming in,” Burns said. “We’ve got to be ready and we’re just hoping to show up and bring the same intensity and fire that we had today and hopefully we can take care of things.”
The Huskies return home at 10 a.m. Feb. 8 at Nelson Tennis Center at Chick Evans Field House to face Western Illinois University.