Bradley tennis split a pair of weekend matches in Iowa this week, defeating the University of Northern Iowa 4-3 on Saturday and losing 6-1 on Sunday to Drake.
Freshman Victoria Gonzalez was the only Bradley player to win both matches, winning twice in the five position. Freshman Kinga Kovacs clinched the win Saturday with her first collegiate win by defeating UNI’s Savanna Hunt in the sixth position.
Kovacs said it was relieving to get her first win, since joining the team in January.
“Winning my first college match this weekend was an amazing feeling,” Kovacs said. “It was a bit difficult to get used to everything here, so I was struggling a little bit, especially at matches. Luckily, everyone was very supportive and helped me to improve.”
The Bradley win over UNI was the Braves first conference win of the season, and Head Coach Matt Tyler said he was impressed with the younger team members.
“To get that first conference win is tremendous, a lot of credit going to our freshman. All three freshman came away with wins that day,” Tyler said.
Bradley has relied heavily on their freshman and sophomores this year, providing ample opportunity for development. According to Tyler, the team has also been able to develop leadership qualities for future contributors, despite the struggles the team has undergone this year.
“I think that for all four of those players with three freshmen and Natalia Barbery, a sophomore, going into the rest of their careers, remembering the struggles that we’ve had, I think that will serve them well,” Tyler said.
Drake’s victory over Bradley on Sunday clinched them a share of the Missouri Valley Conference title and knocked Bradley to a 1-3 record in the Valley. Bradley plays their final conference match at home on Sunday against Valparaiso, where they can potentially finish in the top four in MVC play with a win.
