Bradley University Athletics

Tennis Opens Spring Season with Weekend Triangular

Braves will host Southeast Missouri State Friday evening and Northern Illinois Saturday afternoon at the Clubs at River City

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Women's Tennis 1/25/2018 12:49:00 PM

PEORIA, IL - The spring sports calendar will continue to fill this weekend when the Bradley Tennis program opens its dual match season by hosting Southeast Missouri State (0-2) and Northern Illinois (0-0) in a 2-day triangular Friday and Saturday on the indoor courts at the Clubs at River City.

The Braves will open their 41st dual match season with a 6 p.m. match Friday against SEMO. The Redhawks own a 7-4 edge in the all-time series, snapping Bradley's 4-match series win streak with a 6-1 decision in their last meeting Feb. 26, 2012. SEMO will return to the Clubs at River City courts to take on Northern Illinois in a 9 a.m. match Saturday morning before Bradley hosts the Huskies in a 2 p.m. dual Saturday. Northern Illinois owns a 17-1 advantage in the series against Bradley, though the Braves earned a 4-3 victory in the most-recent home matchup in the series Jan. 30, 2016 at the Clubs at River City.

As fifth-year head coach Matt Tyler prepares his squad for the 2017-18 campaign, he is looking to build on the momentum of the last three seasons, during which time the Braves have racked up 36 dual match victories. The 36 wins since the start of the 2014-15 season are the most in a 3-year period for Bradley Women's Tennis since totalling 40 wins from 1991-93. All of Bradley's 36 wins the last three years have come against NCAA Division I competition, however, the most D1 wins in three seasons in program history.

Individually, Bradley boasts three players among the program's career top 10 in singles victories - senior Aimee Manfredo is fourth with 58 career singles wins, senior Alexa Brandt is eighth wtih 49 victories and junior Malini Wijesinghe is ninth with 48 wins. While freshmen Sandra Maletin and Victoria Gonzalez both enjoyed success during the fall tournament season, mid-year enrollee Kinga Kovacs is expected to make her collegiate debut this weekend.

Admission to Bradley Tennis matches at the Clubs at River City is free.

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