The women’s tennis team opened up the spring season with a trip to Milwaukee. After a loss to Marquette on Saturday, they bounced back on Sunday with a win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to earn a weekend split.
The Braves are optimistic for the season ahead, looking to rebound from a rather difficult 2014 season and build on what was put in place.
“We had a rough year last year from a win-loss standpoint,” head coach Matt Tyler said. “But we created an environment with team chemistry that we really like, and we’re very optimistic about this season.”
Marquette took the dual opener 6-1, but the final score was a bit deceiving.
“Marquette was very, very good,” Tyler said. “They’ll probably finish first or second in the Big East this season. We played them really tough. Our individual scores were very competitive, the end result just wasn’t what we wanted.”
Coming into the match on Sunday, Bradley had lost eight straight matches to Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Braves ended that streak with a 5-2 win over the Warhawks.
“It’s hard to single anyone out, because we had a solid lineup across the board,” Tyler said. “I was very pleased with how freshmen Alexa Brandt and Aimee Manfredo stepped up and played in their first collegiate weekend.”
The Braves’ fitness will be tested this upcoming Saturday, as they square off in their first doubleheader of the season. They open against Northern Illinois followed by a match against IUPUI later that afternoon.
The match against Northern Illinois University begins at 9 a.m. in Rockford, Illinois at the Boylan Tennis Center.
