The Bradley (5-4) tennis team battled Northern Illinois to the wire at the Clubs at River City Saturday afternoon.
After narrowly falling in doubles 3-6, 4-6 and 6-7, the team regrouped and won the four points needed in singles.
After three relatively quick straight set decisions by junior Sandra Maletin, sophomore Bozana Lojpur and freshman Victoria Sanchez Bronzetti at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4, the Braves had the team score tied at 2 a piece. With split results from sophomore Nicki Perlwitz and junior Nina Marjanovic at the No. 5 and No. 6 flights, it came down to senior Natalia Barbery at the No. 3 flight.
She delivered down the stretch after a long second set loss 5-7. She won the first 6-1. When her opponent hit the ball long, her teammates and coaches celebrated on the court with her. To head coach Matt Tyler, that performance was the shining star of weekend after she had struggled in past three set matches.
“Her confidence wasn’t great and after the second set you could see the mindset was a bit different,” Tyler said. “She believed and got it done for us. It was all on her and she stepped up to the plate and did a great job for us.”
From here Bradley hosts Southeast Missouri State today for a 4 p.m. first serve. SEMO has beaten the Braves 4-3 the last two seasons.
