The Braves’ tennis team closed out its fall individual season to Norman, Oklahoma at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Central Regional last Thursday through Saturday.
Sophomore Bozana Lojpur beat two Big Ten opponents to qualify for the 128-player singles main draw while junior Sandra Maletin received an automatic entry. The doubles pairing of Maletin and senior Natalia Barbery reached the round of 32 by downing Creighton 8-7 in the round of 64.
On Thursday, Lojpur downed Nebraska’s Emma Worley 6-3, 6-1 and later held on for a straight set victory 6-1, 7-5 over Minnesota’s Bella Lambert. In the round of 128 on Friday, she fell 6-3, 6-2 to host Oklahoma’s Skyler Miller.
Lojpur said she didn’t even realize she was playing Big Ten opponents until after the matches concluded for the day.
“I just focus on the competition and one match at a time. It’s a good feeling [to beat Big Ten student-athletes],” Lojpur said.
Head coach Matt Tyler said he and his team is happy with any win no matter who is on the other side of the court.
“It’s great to get some wins against Power Five opponents, but in the end, we really try to treat each of our opponents the same regardless of where they’re from,” Tyler said. “I think our team culture and environment is as good as it has ever been which is the most important thing for us.”
Maletin took on Missouri’s Ellie Wright in the round of 128 falling 7-5, 6-3.
Bradley had three doubles pairings enter into the opening round of 64. Lojpur and sophomore Nikki Perlwitz battled Central Arkansas’ Mei Ishimura and Paulina Engback falling 8-6. Minnesota’s Tina Kreinis and Tiffany Huber made quick work of Bradley freshman Violeta Sanchez Bronzetti and junior Nina Marjanovic 8-1. The top pairing of Barbery and Maletin reached the round of 32 by beating Creighton’s Emma Gener and Erin Epperson 8-7 and played fell to Iowa State’s Naklo Thasaporn and Christin Hseih 8-2.
Tyler said that reaching the round of 32 in doubles was a highlight of the weekend.
“I was very proud of Sandra and Nati. They have played together for the past three years and have really matured as a doubles team,” Tyler said. “I think that it gives everyone on the team a lot of confidence going into the spring season.”
Although Bradley didn’t advance any athletes into the later rounds of the tournament, Lojpur said the team was able to see that the Bradley program is doing all of the same things as high-level teams.
“It was cool to see all the other big shot teams and how they compete,” Lojpur said. “It’s similar to us because the competitiveness is just as high and the atmosphere is same as we are. It was just a higher level [of play].”
Tyler said the performance was among the team’s best ever at the tournament.
“I think that was one of the best showings we’ve had at the ITA,” Tyler said. “That tournament features some of the best competition in the country, so for us to right in the mix is outstanding.”
The tennis team is now focused on academic study as they enter a short two-month offseason period, but Lojpur said she plans to train more than last fall.
“Nati [Barbery] and I are sports geeks so we are obsessed with working out and training, so her and I are both going to keep hitting,” Lojpur said.
That hitting will keep them in playing shape for when the Braves open the spring team season Jan. 24. The spring will see the Braves play the Southeastern Conference’s Missouri and the Big Ten’s Rutgers.
