The injury-riddled Bradley women’s tennis team was back on the road this past weekend as it kicked off Missouri Valley Conference play against ISU in Normal. Despite some strong performances, Bradley couldn’t defeat its I-74 rival and fell to the Redbirds to start 0-1 in conference play.
The Braves struggled out the gate, dropping all three doubles matches, and falling behind early 1-0. However they, rebounded quickly, collecting singles victories from senior Alexa Brandt and junior Malini Wijesinghe. Brandt and Wijesinghe both won their matches in single sets. Unfortunately, the Braves failed to collect another singles victory, losing 5-2 to the Redbirds.
Head coach Matt Tyler touched on the performances from Brandt and Wijesinghe.
“Both of them played outstanding,” Tyler said. “[We] couldn’t be happier for the two of them to come away with wins against ISU. I think their play this past weekend really bodes well for these next couple weeks for us.”
Brandt’s victory puts her in a tie for fourth-most singles victories in Bradley history with 58. Brandt is currently tied with her senior teammate Aimee Manfredo. Tyler explained the importance of Brandt’s accomplishment.
“She was that first recruiting class that raised the level of Bradley tennis four years ago and has really had an outstanding career,” Tyler said. “She had a rough sophomore year but bounced back. [She] really played well junior year and continued that this year.”
Saturday’s match marked the tenth straight loss for the Braves. Injuries and illnesses have riddled the team all season. Despite the frustration, Tyler’s team continued to compete and look at the positives.
“We certainly need to play a little better,” Tyler said. “Having six players out there was a huge step. Kind of a moral victory for us. [We’re] trying to really focus on the positive things that we’re doing and carry that into this week’s practice and into the match.”
Bradley will head home for their next match against Missouri State at the Clubs at River City at 1 p.m. Saturday. The match will be one of Bradley’s two home conference matches this season. Tyler emphasized the importance of turning that switch and playing well against their conference rivals.
“This part of the season is the most exciting for us. The in-conference rivalries, everybody gets amped up for that. I still firmly believe that we’re capable of setting ourselves apart from other teams in the conference, and I’m looking forward to seeing us compete,” Tyler said.
