NIU women’s tennis (14-3, 1-0 MAC) swept a doubleheader on Saturday, besting Mid-American Conference rivals Eastern Michigan University Eagles (7-7, 0-1 MAC) by a score of 5-2 before sweeping the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks (8-3, 5-1 WIAC). 

EASTERN MICHIGAN 

In a five hour battle with the Eagles, the Huskies won five singles matches for the win after dropping the doubles point.

“That Eastern Michigan match was very competitive,” said NIU women’s tennis head coach Eric Burns. “Both sides played very well, and we were lucky enough to show some resilience after losing that doubles point. We were able to get back and get five singles, which is really difficult to do against a team like Eastern Michigan.” 

Huskies senior Maria Dzemeshkevich and junior Nataly Ninova fell 6-2 against Eagles seniors Prerna Vichare and Sabina Brichackova. 

Freshman Lucia Yecora and junior Isabella Righi leveled the score for the Huskies, defeating freshman Viktorie Hazmukova and graduate student Marta Komar in a 6-3 set. 

In the deciding match, NIU senior Reagan Welch and junior Jenna Horne lost a close 7-5 match against junior Daniella Shved and freshman Lara Diaz Zayas to concede the doubles point. 

Three-set matches were the key for NIU, with the Huskies going 4-0 in matches that went to three sets. 

Huskie freshman Irmak Budak defeated Hazmukova in 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 sets to level the score for NIU.

At the No. 1 singles spot, Dzemeshkevich took a 6-2 first set against Shved before conceding a 6-3 second set. Dzemeshkevich came out on top in a back-and-forth third set, taking a 7-5 set for the win to put the Huskies ahead 3-2. 

After dropping a close 7-6 (7-0) first set, Ninova took 6-4, 6-1 sets to win her match against Brichackova. 

Yecora was the clincher for the Huskies at the No. 5 singles spot, taking down Komar to seal the victory. Losing a close 7-6 (7-5) first set, Yecora came back to take dominant 6-2, 6-3 sets for the win. 

“We’re so excited,” Yecora said. “We’ve been waiting for this match for a long time, so we wanted to play and get the job done. I’m just so happy. I was nervous, obviously, but I felt good about the team because they played really well so I wanted to continue that.” 

Righi controlled a two set match against Eastern Michigan junior Regina Mendez, taking 6-2, 6-1 set victories at the No. 6 spot. 

“The bottom of the lineup is really solid,” Burns said. “That’s where matches are won. In these tight conference matchups and in championship play, everyone’s got a good No. 1, everyone’s got a good No. 2, but if you can have depth at the bottom of the lineup then that can really set you apart. We’ve got that this year and then some.”

The only loss for the Huskies came when senior Erika Dimitiriev fell in two sets to Vicahre, losing 7-5, 6-4. The loss was Dimitriev’s first match of the spring, after being out with injury for the first 15 matches of the season. 

“I’m honestly just really happy to be able to be playing now,” Dimitriev said. “I just went out there and tried to play my game. The first couple games were a little iffy, but I feel like once I got in the zone I was just trying to go for my shots and play my game.”

WHITEWATER 

The Huskies earned their 14th win of the season against Whitewater, sparking a three match win streak. 

NIU conceded only 3 games en route to taking the doubles point. 

Dzemeshkevich and Welch swept a 6-0 set against Warhawk junior Molly Asfeld and sophomore Alexandra Repplier. 

Budak and sophomore Sydney Paradise controlled a 6-1 set against Whitewater freshman duo Ava Andrae and Crystina Lee. 

Ninova and Dimitriev bested freshman Abigail Weaver and junior Gracie Ha by a score of 6-2. Ninova and Dimitriev held a 12-3 record as a duo in the 2024 season, including an undefeated 7-0 record in MAC play. 

“I love playing with Nat (Nataly Ninova),” said Dimitriev of returning to doubles play. “We just work really well together and because we’ve been playing together for so long we just kind of  know how we work, so it was really fun.” 

The Huskies dominated singles play, winning all matches in two sets. 

Welch bested Weaver in quick 6-4, 6-1 sets for the win. 

Coming back from a 4-2 deficit in the first set against Ha, Budak won four straight games to take a 6-4 first set before a 6-1 second set for the win.

Dimitriev nearly swept Asfeld at the No. 2 singles spot, taking 6-0, 6-1 sets.

NIU freshman Theodora Kousiou controlled 6-1, 6-0 sets against repplier at the No. 4 singles spot. 

Horne took 6-0, 6-1 sets against Warhawk senior Sarah Ferguson.

Paradise completed the sweep for the Huskies, taking a 7-5 first set against Lee after falling behind 5-2 to start the match

After falling behind 5-2 to start the first set, Paradise won 7-5, 6-3 sets against Lee to complete the sweep for the Huskies.

UP NEXT

The Huskies continue MAC play at noon Friday in Muncie, Indiana, when they take on the Ball State University Cardinals.