After a tough start to their season, Bradley tennis secured their first victory at home against Omaha.
The Braves beat the Mavericks 6-1 with dominant sets in singles and doubles at Parkside Fitness Center in Pekin on Jan. 27.
Bradley began the competition with stellar doubles performances, as the sophomore duo of Anna Belogliadova and Alexandra Hildreth played a perfect match to beat the Omaha duo of Colby Kelley and Keegan VanPelt. The tandem of senior Maria Bezmenova and sophomore Mariia Pukhina also put together a perfect set, winning 6-0.
In the singles portion of the day, Bradley won five of the six matches, highlighted by Hildreth’s win following an exciting 10-point final set. Bezmenova, Belogliadova and Pukhina all won their two sets handedly, sophomore Kirstin Hailey also took home the victory with a 6-3, 7-5 win.
The Omaha duo of Zoe Adkins and Paula Arcarons beat Hailey and freshman Andra Sirbu 6-3 in the doubles match, while the Mavericks’ Khayli Buckels took down Sirbu in their three-set singles match. Those were the only two losses the Braves suffered.
Looking ahead, Bradley’s outstanding performance sets the tone for their upcoming matches. On Feb. 3, they’ll play Chicago State and St. Thomas, with a strong UW-Milwaukee team the following day.
