Bradley tennis was back in action this past Sunday against DePaul after almost a year off from competition, as the 2019-20 season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there was no fall season.
The Braves were defeated 2-5 by the Blue Demons, losing two of the three doubles points. The freshman duo of Victoria Sanchez Bronzetti and Maria Bezmenova won at No. 2 doubles 7-5, with the latter earning her first collegiate win.
“I felt like we competed pretty well tonight,” head coach Matt Tyler said on Sunday. “I think we definitely have another level that we’ll reach at some point, but it was a good first outing for us.”
The Braves’ two points came from sophomore Bozana Lojpur at No. 2 singles with a 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-4 victory and sophomore Nikki Perlwitz at No. 6 singles with a 5-7, 7-5, 10-8 victory.
“The team support was really great today,” Lojpur said. “I think that had a big impact on me.”
After the prolonged layoff, Tyler said that the lack of competition affects how the team would usually approach the spring season.
“It’s tough, for sure,” Tyler said. “Normally we would have played four, maybe five tournaments prior to us playing our first dual match in the spring. That obviously didn’t happen. Our timeline was definitely compressed from where it normally is.”
Lojpur said she recognizes the challenges of the time off but doesn’t let it affect her routine.
“It was definitely a little bit more difficult because we haven’t played in a while,” Lojpur said. “But I prepared like I always do.”
Bradley will now have a much shorter wait between matches as it takes on University of Illinois at Chicago on Friday, Feb. 12 at The Clubs at River City, the second of their 10 home dual matches in a row to start the season, and the most in the program’s history.
“Obviously practicing on the same courts that you’re playing makes a big difference,” Tyler said. “We’re very fortunate to have a great venue, a great place for us to practice and compete.”
Tyler also knows the key to improving the result for next Friday’s match: extra reps in practice.
“Getting some more practice time under our belt will certainly make a difference,” Tyler said. “We’ve got some time before our next dual match, which is good.”
