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Tennis swings into season

The Bradley tennis team will begin its fall season this Friday at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) Fall Invitational. After reaching the Missouri Valley Conference tournament semifinals for the past two seasons, the team looks to continue its success.

Head coach Matt Tyler said he is anticipating the teams upcoming season and is happy with the balanced roster. However, they will have some big shoes to fill with stars Ariel Dechter and Ashley Thai, who both graduated last spring.

There is not a lot of difference between our number one and our number seven [players], Tyler said. Anybody can beat anyone on a given day.

Tyler said the team is excited to get the season underway although they will be without senior Alejandra de Lasa, who is recovering from knee surgery. Despite that, Tyler said he expects de Lasa to be ready for the spring season.

One of the players Tyler said he expects solid play from is senior Alexa Brandt. Brandt is the most decorated player on the roster and enters her senior year 10th on Bradley’s career combined wins list with 89 career victories. She is tied for ninth with 45 career singles wins and is 10th with 44 career doubles victories.

According to Tyler, one player to keep an eye on is freshman Sandra Melatin. Additionally, Melatin comes to the Hilltop all the way from Belgrade, Serbia, and Tyler said she will be a big contributor to the team’s success.

Sandra had a great junior career in Serbia, where she was rated number three in the junior circuit, Tyler said. She put in a ton of work over the summer, and it should pay off during the season.

In addition to Brandt and Melatin, Bradley’s five participants at the invitational will include sophomore Natalia Barbery, freshman Victoria Gonzalez and junior Malini Wijesinghe. Bradley will get their 2017-18 season underway on Friday at the SIUE tennis courts.

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