DeKALB – When junior Nataly Ninova trailed 6-4, 0-5 in the second stanza of her match at the No. 4 singles slot against Ball State University on Sunday, she knew she’d been beaten for the set.
“I kind of went off the rails mentally,” Ninova said. “When it got to 5-0, I was just like, ‘this set is probably done,’ so I’ll just use it to get back into it, get back into my game and see what happens.”
The native of Palma de Mallorca, Spain, went on to take the set’s next four games before losing the frame 6-4. With momentum on her side, Ninova fired off to a 5-2 advantage in Set 3, putting the Huskies (18-4, 4-1 MAC) one point away from their fourth straight win.
Ball State freshman Alana Bristow then won the next two games to make it a one-game difference. By that point, Ninova said the matchup had become a mental game.
“I just had to stay in it,” Ninova said. “I knew she (Bristow) was playing better. I just knew that if I kept putting everything in, eventually I would get it and close it.”
And close it, she did. Ninova took the very next point to slam the door on Bristow, finishing her off with a cross-court forehand groundstroke that Bristow sent into the net.
Ninova’s win guaranteed the Huskies a 5-2 home victory against the very same Cardinals (8-7, 2-2 MAC) team that handed them their first Mid-American Conference loss of the season on March 21. It also secured a 3-0 weekend finish for NIU – the team having swept a doubleheader against the University of Toledo and Chicago State University on Friday.
After the match, head coach Eric Burns said playing against Ball State and its unorthodox style of play is no easy feat.
“They’re not just out there bashing balls with you, which, obviously, we like to play that way,” Burns said. “They’re thinking through and playing some smart points. You’ve got to really pack a lunch and be ready for not only a physical battle, but a mental battle with them.”
NIU’s No. 3 doubles pairing of senior Reagan Welch and junior Jenna Horne opened the match with a 6-3 win. Shortly thereafter, senior Maria Dzemeshkevich and Ninova fell 7-5 at the No. 1 doubles spot. Sunday’s most contested doubles match took place at No. 2, where freshman Lucia Yecora and junior Isabella Righi fell by a tiebreaker, 7-6 (9-7).
“They just found ways to win points on us today,” Burns said. “We were a little disappointed, because I felt like we played really well and didn’t really get anything to show for it.”
SLAYING IN SINGLES
Despite missing out on the doubles point, the match remained tied at 1-1 after Ball State forfeited the No. 6 singles bout. Sunday’s singles lineup featured a notable switch, with Yecora and Ninova taking the No. 3 and No. 4 spots, respectively – the inverse of their positions in the lineup from their last meeting with the Cardinals.
“Nat’s (Ninova) been playing well, but Lu (Yecora) is a matchup problem for a lot of the teams,” Burns said. “She’s been showing can play just about anywhere in the lineup right now, so why not give it a shot?”
Maintaining her near-perfect singles record, Yecora made quick work of Ball State sophomore Isabel Tanjuatco in straight sets, 6-3, 6-0.
At the No. 2 spot, freshman Irmak Budak faced off with a familiar foe in Ball State freshman Jemima Williams-Phillips. The two had faced off just nine days earlier during NIU’s 5-2 loss to the Cardinals, where Budak fell to her Cardinal counterpart in three sets.
“Last time we played, I didn’t play my game. I played her game,” Budak said.
This time around, Budak became the aggressor, saying the goal was to “hit every ball.” The newcomer from Turkey needed just two sets to trounce Williams-Phillips, 6-2, 6-2.
With Yecora’s and Budak’s opponents dispatched, NIU needed a victory from either Ninova at No. 4 or Horne at No. 5 to seal the deal.
Once Ninova delivered with her performance, Horne played out her match against Ball State senior Ella Hazelbaker, winning in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.
IN THE HOME STRETCH
Following the weekend sweep, NIU remains in a tight race with Miami University (6-8, 5-0 MAC) for the top spot in the conference standings.
For their next test, the Huskies will hit the road to face another avian opponent in the Falcons of Bowling Green State University (9-9, 0-5 MAC). The match is scheduled to begin at noon Friday in Bowling Green, Ohio.
“Everything’s working,” Burns said. “We just need to stay fresh and keep a good mindset and we’re in a good position.”
MATCH RESULTS
Singles:
- Elena Malykh (BSU) def. Maria Dzemeshkevich (NIU) 6-3, 6-4
- Irmak Budak (NIU) def. Jemima Williams-Phillips (BSU) 6-2, 6-2
- Lucia Yecora (NIU) def. Isabel Tanjuatco (BSU) 6-3, 6-0
- Nataly Ninova (NIU) def. Alana Bristow (BSU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
- Jenna Horne (NIU) def. Ella Hazelbaker (BSU) 6-2, 6-2
- Sydney Paradise (NIU) def. no player (BSU), by forfeit
Doubles:
- Chloe Brown/Alana Bristow (BSU) def. Maria Dzemeshkevich/Nataly Ninova (NIU) 7-5
- Sarah Shahbaz/Isabel Tanjuatco (BSU) def. Lucia Yecora/Isabella Righi (NIU) 7-6 (9-7)
- Jenna Horne/Reagan Welch (NIU) def. Ella Hazelbaker/Elena Malykh (BSU) 6-3
