This past weekend, the Bradley women’s tennis team traveled to Rockford to take on Northern Illinois and IUPUI, where the Braves suffered a narrow 4-3 loss against Northern Illinois but were able to dominate IUPUI with a 7-0 sweep.
Coach Matthew Tyler said the team takes each match as an opportunity to grow, celebrating the good and learning from the bad.
“From our wins, we have learned that we have to be focused going into each match,” Tyler said. “All of these teams are very good, and if we are not ready to compete, then, they will beat [us].”
Sophomore Ariel Dechter went a perfect 3-0 in singles and doubles. She and junior Irinka Toidze put together a 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles. However, Bradley’s two other doubles teams did not see like results, as Northern Illinois prevailed with a 7-5 victory at No. 1 and a 6-1 victory at No. 3. Singles saw a split of three and three with NIU.
Tyler said losses allow the team the opportunity to pinpoint and address areas in need of improvement.
“We can compete against some very high level teams,” he said. “Our losses cause us to reevaluate what we need to work on and hopefully get better going into practice that week.”
Despite the close loss, Bradley bounced back to dominate IUPUI with a 7-0 clean sweep. Freshman Alexa Brandt and sophomore Ashley Thai claimed a win at No. 1 doubles, defeating IUPUI 6-2. Meanwhile, freshman Aimee Manfredo and senior Elizabeth Przystawski fought hard for the 7-5 victory at No. 3 doubles. Amassing a 76-36 record at singles, the Braves swept all six matches.
Tyler said the future is bright for his team, and especially for his two freshmen.
“I couldn’t be happier with Alexa and Aimee.” Tyler said. “They both are in tough spots, playing one and three respectively, as freshmen and have been very successful so far. More importantly, they are both great kids and a lot of fun to be around.”
As the Braves prepare to face off against Valparaiso and SIU-Edwardsville at home this weekend, Tyler said the team continues to focus their efforts on practice.
“It’s great to finally be at home this weekend,” Tyler said. “I expect to have an outstanding week of practice, and we will see what we can get done on Saturday.”
The Braves home opener against Valparaiso kicks off at 9 a.m., followed by SIU-Edwardsville at 1 p.m.
