Both the 2019 spring and fall seasons brought success to the Bradley tennis team. The team finished the spring by reaching their third Missouri Valley Conference semifinal in four years and followed it up by claiming two individual MVC championships in the fall.
Head coach Matt Tyler believes all these accomplishments build up a strong base of confidence heading into the spring. However, he also acknowledge there is still plenty of work to be done.
“Having a fall like the one we did gives us a lot of confidence,” Tyler said. “The hard thing for us is that you have that layoff without any competition. It is vastly different than just being on the practice courts.”
Having gained both confidence and experience, the team sets its sights on 2020. The No. 1 doubles duo of senior Natalia Barbery and junior Sandra Maletin think the team season brings a different dynamic.
“In the fall, everything is individual,” Barbery said. “When we play in the spring it feels like we’re on the same court.”
Maletin echoed the idea, as she feeds off the team mindset. She also makes her mark in singles and boasts a career record of 47-21. In a league announcement Tuesday, she was named the MVC Singles Player of the Week for the fourth time in her career.
“We’re all on the court fighting for one goal,” Maletin said. “It’s not ‘Nati won’ or ‘Sandra won.’ It’s Bradley tennis won.”
That winning mindset was key for the Braves as they started the season at the Clubs at River City with a 5-2 win against the IUPUI Jaguars last Friday, Jan. 24 by winning the doubles point. The No. 1 and No. 2 pairings wom, 6-2 and 6-3 respectively.
IUPUI gained its only two points at No. 2 and No. 3 singles. The loss at No. 3 came by walkover due to a Barbery injury.
The Braves also played the Murray State Racers on Saturday Jan. 25. Bradley fell in that match up 5-2. This time around, Bradley narrowly dropped the doubles point, winning at No. 2 6-3, but losing a close match at the No. 1 flight 7-5.
Bradley’s two points came at the hands of Maletin at No. 1 singles and sophomore Bozana Lojpur at No. 2 singles. Maletin cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 win while it took Lojpur three sets to win 6-4, 2-6, 11-9.
Tyler was optimistic about the doubles play to start season.
“I was happy with the way we played doubles both Friday and Saturday,” Tyler said. “But I know we have another level that we can reach. [Winning doubles] is always huge, everyone feels better going into singles play knowing we’re up 1-0.”
The lead heading into the six singles matches is also key to success this spring.
“Looking forward, consistency is the biggest focal point,” Tyler said. “They have the shots down, it’s a matter of not making any unforced errors.”
For the coach the goal this season is clear: win the Missouri Valley Conference. However, he recognizes the short-term picture.
“The great thing is that they’ve never not known success,” Tyler said. “This team knows what it means to win. Our ultimate goal is to win that Valley title. I try to tell our athletes to look at the match in front of them.”
The Braves head down state this weekend to play Southern Illinois-Edwardsville today at 2 p.m. and Saint Louis University tomorrow evening at 5:30.
