Bradley University Athletics

Women's Tennis Set for Bradley Invitational

The Bradley women's tennis team will host 49 players from eight schools during this weekend's Bradley Invitational, to be played on campus at the David Markin Tennis Courts and Illinois Central College

Ariel Dechter backhand vs Wichita State April 30, 2016

Wichita State Athletics

Senior Ariel Dechter can become Bradley's all-time leader for career singles victories this weekend.

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Women's Tennis 9/22/2016 4:49:00 PM

PEORIA, IL - The Bradley University women's tennis team will return to action this weekend by hosting 49 players from eight schools in the Bradley Invitational on campus at the David Markin Tennis Courts, as well as the eight courts at Illinois Central College in East Peoria.

The three-day event will consist of three, 16-player singles flights and three, 8-team doubles flights totalling 129 matches. Play will begin at 10 a.m. Friday at both venues with two rounds of singles action. The tournament will continue at 9 a.m. Saturday, beginning with the first two rounds of doubles, followed by the third round of singles. Action resumes at 9 a.m. Sunday with the final round of doubles, followed by the final round of singles.

All 10 Bradley players are set to compete this weekend and the Braves will be joined by players from Chicago State, DePaul, Eastern Illinois, Illinois State, Northern Illinois, Saint Louis and Western Illinois. The Markin Courts on Bradley's campus will be home to Flight 1 Singles and Flight 1 Doubles, while the ICC Tennis Courts will be home to Flights 2 (courts 1-4) and 3 (5-8) in both singles and doubles.

Competing in Singles Flight 1, Bradley senior Ariel Dechter enters the tournament with 71 career singles victories, just two shy of the program's all-time record 73 singles wins set by Teri Chan from 2003-07. Fellow senior Ashley Thai enters the tournament tied for fourth in Bradley history wtih 53 career singles wins, just one shy of the No. 3 mark, 54, set by Cindy Schneider from 1984-88. Thai will compete in Flight 3.

Following this weekend's tournament, the Braves will continue their fall tournament schedule by competing in the Missouri Valley Conference Women's Tennis Individual Championships Oct. 8-10 at Evansville. Junior Aimee Manfredo is the defending Flight 5 Singles champion and Dechter teamed with former Brave Irinka Toidze to win the Flight 3 Doubles crown last year.

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