The Bradley Tennis team was on the road again this week in Omaha and dropped both matchups against Omaha and Creighton. Despite their best efforts, the Braves dropped their record to 2-5 on the season, and many on the team sustained injuries.
On Saturday, sophomore Natalia Barberry was injured in her singles match and could not continue. Freshman Sandra Malentin and Senior Alexa Brandt stepped up with two singles victories. However, it wasn’t enough, as the team lost 5-2 against Omaha. Head coach Matt Tyler said losing Barberry had a significant impact on the team.
“It’s always tough when you lose one of your top players,” Tyler said. “Natalia’s been playing 1 doubles and 2 singles for us. She’s also a big leader … so it’s certainly tough.”
The Braves started off Sunday’s match on a good note. The team of Malentin and Senior Alejandra de Lasa, senior Brandt and junior Malini Wijesinghe earned victories, giving Bradley the doubles point. Freshman Victoria Gonzalez also stepped up, winning her singles point for the Braves.
Unfortunately, Wijesinghe and Malentin lost close singles points and Bradley lost to Creighton 5-2. Tyler said he was impressed by Gonzalez’s performance.
“That was a huge win,” Tyler said. “Victoria’s another one who’s battling injuries … She went out there and fought her brains out and was able to come out with a win … She really showed what she was made of in that situation.”
Although the Braves took the loss, Brandt accomplished an impressive feat. Her three-set victory was her 55th career win. That mark places Brandt as the fifth person in Bradley’s history to achieve this benchmark for singles play.
“I’m really proud of Alexa,” Tyler said. “She’s really grown as a person and as an athlete throughout her four years here at Bradley … [She’s] having an outstanding year this year, and I expect that to continue for her … We’re really counting on [her] to carry the team in a lot of situations.”
The Braves look to get back on track as they travel to Iowa City for a Sunday match against Iowa. Tyler said the team hopes to get healthy as they forge on throughout their eight-game road test.
