DeKALB – Tying the school record for single-season wins with its 20th win, NIU women’s tennis (20-4, 6-1 MAC) took down the Western Michigan University Broncos in a 5-2 team duel.
“We just fought,” said NIU women’s tennis head coach Eric Burns. “It wasn’t our best day of tennis, we had some chances to really close out the doubles and we didn’t get it done. We weren’t the best in some of the big points today, but we kept fighting and we hung in there. Western played really well, so it was a tough match.”
In a repeat of the Huskies’ last match against the Broncos on March 23, NIU went down early after dropping the doubles point.
After junior Isabella Righi and freshman Lucia Yecora fell in a 6-3 match at No. 2 doubles, senior Maria Dzemeshkevich and junior Nataly Ninova fell in a 7-5 loss at the No. 1 spot to concede the doubles point.
Senior Reagan Welch and junior Jenna Horne were leading a 5-4 match against Broncos graduate student Polina Khotko and freshman Frida Weijerman when the match was abandoned.
The Huskies fought in singles matches, coming away with three-set wins in three matches before sealing the win in straight set victories.
Coming down to a tiebreaker, Dzemeshkevich bested Western Michigan graduate student Lola Glantz in 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 sets.
After a first-set comeback fell short against Weijerman, Yecora won straight 6-4, 6-2 sets for the victory at No. 3 singles.
Ninova edged out a 7-5 first set win against freshman Marielou Baudouin before conceding a 6-3 second set. In the deciding set, Ninova dominated her way to a 6-2 third set success for the match win.
With a 4-6, 7-6, 6-1 loss at No. 2 singles for freshman Irmak Budak at the hands of Broncos graduate student Christine Gouws, the Huskies were ahead 3-2 heading into the final two matches.
Righi took dominant 6-2, 6-3 sets against Western Michigan junior Audrey Smitek, clinching the victory for the Huskies.
“I think we all try not to think a lot about it,” said Righi on playing a clinching match. “Playing a lot here at the four courts, being on our home courts, we’re kind of used to having the position where No. 5 and No. 6 have to clinch. Those spots are probably the most important spots for our team, so I was just trying not to really think about it that much.”
Freshman Theodora Kousiou took straight 6-2 sets over Broncos sophomore Julia Frazier to round out the match for NIU.
“Those are two pretty good five and six players right there,” said Burns on Righi and Kousiou. “Theodora (Kousiou) had played Julia Frazier a few weeks back and had been able to get that match in straight sets, but we felt good about that match as long as she was going to be locked in and ready. Isa (Righi) played an opponent she hadn’t played before and really ran the game plan well against her.”
UP NEXT
The Huskies continue Mid-American Conference play on the road at noon Friday in Ypsilanti, Michigan, against eastern Michigan University.
