SPRINGFIELD, IL - Prior to Sunday, Bradley had claimed just one flight championship in the 32-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference Women's Tennis Individual Championships. By winning two of its three championship matches Sunday at the Velasco Tennis Center, Bradley tripled its all-time total.
Cindy Schneider won Flight 3 Singles during the 1986 championships for Bradley's lone MVC Individuals title until the tandem of Ariel Dechter/Irinka Toidze delivered an 8-5 win against Missouri State's Boeschen/Torrico in Sunday morning's championship flight in Flight 3 Doubles. Sophomore Aimee Manfredo added to Bradley's championship total in Flight 5 Singles by adding a 6-4, 6-2 win against Missouri State's Miranda Poile.
The Braves played for three titles Sunday, by junior Ashley Thai's bid for the Flight 7 Singles championship came up short in a 6-2, 6-1 loss to Illinois State's Valerija Gercar.
In Bradley's two other matches Sunday, sophomore Alejandra de Lasa dropped a 6-2, 6-1 score to Illinois State's Veronika Golanova in the Flight 2 Singles third-place match, while freshman Malini Wijesinghe also fell in the Flight 6 Singles third-place match to Missouri State's Phoebe Boeschen (6-3, 6-2).
Of the 10 flights contested during the 3-day event, Illinois State and Wichita State both won three, while Bradley claimed two. Drake and Southern Illinois each won one title.
2015 MVC Women's Tennis Individual Championships
Flight Winners
1 Singles: Abby Stevens (Wichita State)
2 Singles: Adrienne Jensen (Drake)
3 Singles: Tanaporn Thongsing (Wichita State)
4 Singles: Luca Pump (Wichita State)
5 Singles: Aimee Manfredo (BRADLEY)
6 Singles: Yana Golovkina (Southern Illinois)
7 Singles: Valerija Gercar (Illinois State)
1 Doubles: Kadi Ilves/Marcia Tere-Apisah (Illinois State)
2 Doubles: Veronika Golanova/Jana Kustkova (Illinois State)
3 Doubles: Ariel Dechter/Irinka Toidze (BRADLEY)