Both of Bradley’s tennis teams were in action from April 4-6 and neither of them were able to walk away with a victory.
The women’s team lost on Saturday to no. 50 Wichita St. 6-0. Freshman Ariel Dechter came the closest to winning a set for the Braves, but she suffered a 12-10 third set loss.
The team faced off Sunday against its final non-conference foe: Omaha. In their first outdoor match of the season, the Mavericks defeated the Braves 4-3.
The Braves started off well. Junior Elizabeth Przystawski earned a 6-1, 6-2 win, while junior Cassia Wojtalik won her match 6-4, 7-5. The Braves earned a third singles victory when junior Carly Miles won her match 7-6, 5-7, 6-1.
Bradley won the first doubles match, led again by the Miles. She and freshman Ashley Thai combined for an 8-3 victory. The Braves lost the other two doubles matches.
The men’s team, meanwhile, lost three straight matches. After falling to Southern Illinois Salukis on April 3, the team hit the road Saturday against the University of Missouri-Kansas City. UMKC beat the Braves 4-1.
That marked the return of senior Arthur Romanet to game action.
Romanet had missed most of the season for the Braves, but Coach Tim Gray said he didn’t miss a beat.
“He was out of match shape, but it’s tough when you’ve been out as long as he has,” Gray said. “He did a great job. He played hard, he worked hard and overall he looked pretty good.”
The Braves’ only win of the match came when senior Justin Abrams won his match 6-2, 6-3. Freshman Nico Rakitin’s 6-3, 7-5 loss at no. 3 singles clinched the loss for the Braves.
The win by Abrams was his 73rd singles victory at Bradley. He’s now six wins shy of tying the all-time career wins record. Rakitin, meanwhile, played a tough game, even in the loss. Burns said the freshman has stepped up big time.
“I’m really proud of how he’s done this year,” Burns said. “He’s had a number of losses, and I think that’s affected his confidence. He goes every day and every match and competes extremely hard. He’s just been unfortunate.”
After coming back from a match at Illinois State on April 11, the men’s squad returns for a home for a match against Drake on April 13. While the women’s team hits the road for two Missouri Valley Conference matches, against Drake on Saturday and Northern Iowa on Sunday.
