photo by Justin Limoges
Unseasonably warm weather last Saturday made it a great day for students to spend time outside on the Hilltop. The Bradley tennis team also enjoyed its Saturday, not only because of the spring-like weather, but because it started off its season-long, six-match home stand.
The Braves hosted in-state rivals Western Illinois and Chicago State in a doubleheader at the David Markin Tennis Courts, making for a rare, but pleasant, outdoor February match.
Bradley started off strong, beating Western Illinois 6-1, and carried that momentum into the second match by defeating Chicago State 5-2.
According to head coach Matt Tyler, the team holds an advantage over their opponents when they play on their home court.
“I think we play great at home,” Tyler said. “There’s certainly a home court advantage. The surface is something that we are used to versus going on the road and playing on different surfaces, and girls getting to sleep in their own bed and having the fans come out to support us. I think it certainly gives us an advantage.”
Bradley nearly swept Western Illinois by winning all three doubles matches and winning all but one singles match.
With just a short break between matches, it initially looked as though Chicago State was going to pull ahead after defeating the Braves in both No. 1 singles and doubles competition. However, the Braves were able to rally. In the end, they proved to be too much for the Cougars, taking them down 5-2.
Junior Aimee Manfredo said the quick turnaround from match to match certainly had an effect on the team.
“It’s definitely mentally difficult to play two matches in a row, especially if you don’t play well in your first match,” Manfredo said. “You might start getting down on yourself, which makes it even more difficult to play in your second match. After this past weekend, though, I feel a lot more confident in my ability to play in doubleheaders.”
Manfredo obviously was able to get over any mental or physical hurdles last weekend by posting an undefeated 4-0 record. In helping to lead the team to two victories she also received a Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week nomination.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been nominated in the past for this award, so it’s a really big honor to me, and it shows that I’m making improvements on my game,” Manfredo said.
Bradley tennis will return indoors and will look to build on their momentum at the Clubs at River City this Saturday as they continue their six-match home stand against Wright State and Butler.
