Bradley women’s tennis came close to stealing a road win on Friday night in Milwaukee, but Marquette ultimately edged the Braves 4-3 after gaining an early advantage that proved difficult to overcome.
The match largely came down to the doubles point. Marquette grabbed momentum right away by winning on the top two doubles courts, putting Bradley in an early 1–0 hole. Starting behind forced the Braves to chase points the rest of the match, needing four singles wins to take the dual.
Bradley responded well once singles play began. Mariia Pukhina delivered the most dominant performance of the day, cruising to a 6–0, 6–1 win on court three. Her quick victory helped Bradley even the energy of the match and put pressure back on Marquette.
Ruby Tseng also stepped up with one of the biggest wins of the afternoon. After taking the first set 6–3 and dropping the second, Tseng regrouped and battled through a tight third set to win 6–3, 3–6, 6–3. The victory marked her 10th singles win of the dual season and kept Bradley within striking distance.
Ann Hsieh added another point for the Braves with a comeback effort on court five. After losing the opening set, she flipped the momentum by controlling the next two sets and closing out a 4–6, 6–2, 6–4 win.
Despite those three singles victories, Marquette secured the match by winning three tightly contested singles matches, including a pair of matches that went the full three sets. Those clutch finishes ultimately made the difference, allowing the Golden Eagles to protect the early lead created by the doubles point.
Bradley will look to bounce back as its road trip continues Sunday against Saint Louis.
