After struggling to win just four matches last season, Bradley’s tennis team entered the fall schedule looking to keep the past in the past and build for the future.
It would appear the team is well on their way to doing just that.
Led by freshmen Aimee Manfredo and Alexa Brandt, the Braves posted a 29-6 record at the tournament en route to winning four out of a possible six championships, three each in singles play and one in doubles.
Manfredo and Brandt each went 4-0 in their respective brackets to win the title. Brandt defeated University of Northern Iowa’s Elvira Lopez 7-5, 7-6 (5) in the Gold bracket final while Manfredo had to go three sets, but eventually knocked off another Panther, Gisela Kemper, 6-1, 2-6, 1-0 (10-6) for the Purple bracket title.
Head coach Matt Tyler said he was happy with how the pair performed, and noted that changes made in the past have allowed the team to focus more this season.
“Some of our focus has been on the team’s chemistry, the culture and the environment,” Tyler said. “I think that is in a very good situation which allows us to go out and play tennis. We don’t have any distractions. The girls are in a positive mood, working out and having fun, and I think that those things combined are very conducive to winning tennis matches.”
Brandt would win another title before the weekend ended, teaming up with sophomore Ashley Thai to beat a pair of players from the University of South Dakota 8-4 to win the Gold title. Sophomore Ariel Dechter and junior Irinka Toidze would win the Purple title 8-5 by knocking off the team of Vekerija Gercar and Donna Haycock from Illinois State.
The wins, especially when they come over conference rivals such as the Redbirds, would appear to set the Braves up well for conference play, which is exactly what begins next week at Drake University in Iowa.
The Braves travel to Des Moines to participate in the Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championships, which start Oct. 3 and run through Oct. 5. Tyler said he is excited to get a look at what the MVC has to offer.
“It’s our first look this year at several of the conference teams, especially Missouri State, who is a new team to the conference. It’ll be interesting to get a look at them. We were successful against ISU and UNI last weekend,” Tyler said. “So I think we go into [conference play] with a lot of confidence; those are historically teams that we have been able to beat in the past.”
However, past success does not equal future triumph. With two freshman and a transfer, the Braves have three players who have yet to experience Valley play, which Tyler said could be a benefit.
“We’ve got a lot of girls that don’t really know the conference, which I think is a good thing,” Tyler said. “There’s no history there, and I think ignorance is bliss. We just go out and play tennis and we’re not concerned about who was beating us in previous years or who was good in previous years, we just go out and let it happen.”
