Bradley women’s tennis didn’t let Friday’s heartbreak turn into a hangover.
After falling short in a 4-3 loss to Murray State on Friday, the Braves came back Saturday looked like a team that had no interest in dwelling on what went wrong. Instead, Bradley quickly turned the page and handled Belmont 5-2 at the Markin Tennis Courts behind a doubles sweep and four singles wins.
The weekend split showed two different versions of the Braves: one that came up one point short on Friday, and one that looked much more in control 24 hours later.
Against Murray State, Bradley got singles wins from Ruby Tseng, Mariia Pukhina and Amber Sharp, but the difference ended up being doubles. In a match where just about everything felt up for grabs, the Braves couldn’t quite cash in on enough of the big moments.
“Against Murray State, we had some missed opportunities, and that was a great learning moment for us,” head coach Kathleen Temple said. “We’ve emphasized the importance of stepping up in key situations and executing on the points that matter most.”
By Saturday, that message seemed to stick.
Bradley came out aggressively against Belmont and didn’t waste time grabbing control, sweeping all three doubles matches to grab the opening point and, maybe more importantly, the momentum.
“All season, we’ve emphasized how critical it is to secure the doubles point,” Temple said. “It sets the tone and helps take pressure off singles.”
That early momentum carried into singles.
Tseng stayed undefeated at No. 2 singles, continuing what has quietly turned into one of the steadiest seasons in Bradley’s lineup. Pukhina delivered one of the day’s biggest swings, bouncing back after dropping her first set to win in three. Ann Hsieh and Compassion Tsai added key singles wins, with Tsai clinching the team victory.
For Pukhina, the comeback was about patience.
“I was calm,” Pukhina said. “After losing the set, I created a strategy and put the full effort into maximizing my focus on every shot.”
She said the team used that same mentality after Friday’s loss.
“Tennis is an excellent example of a sport where you have to have a short-term memory,” Pukhina said.
For Bradley, Saturday looked like exactly that.
The Braves won’t have much time to rest on their doubles sweep. They head back to the courts on Wednesday to take on Lindenwood. First serve at the Markin Tennis Courts is set for 1 p.m., and after a weekend of ups and downs, Bradley will be looking to keep the momentum rolling.
