by Ethan McConkey, Bradley Athletic Communications student assistant
PEORIA, Ill. - The Bradley University Department of Athletics has a father-son duo of coaches in its ranks. The coaches, head women's tennis coach Matt Tyler and his father, volunteer assistant Steve Tyler, are leading the 2-2 women's tennis team to its first home matches of the season Saturday at the Clubs at River City.
The Braves will be hosting two teams: the first match at 9:00 A.M. is against the Valparaiso Crusaders (0-2) and the second at 1:00 P.M. will involve the SIU Edwardsville Cougars (3-2).
This past weekend, the Braves split a weekend doubleheader in Rockford, Ill., losing a 4-3 match to Northern Illinois before bouncing back to sweep IUPUI, 7-0. Sophomore Ariel Dechter enjoyed a perfect day Saturday, going a combined 3-0 to bring her combined singles and doubles record to 6-1 to start the 2015 dual match campaign. Dechter's singles record this year stands at 16-5 and she has won her last 10 individual matches.
Head Coach Matt Tyler, the younger of the two Tyler's, gave the team more mental work rather than physical practices this week in order to allow nagging injuries to heal. He wanted to maintain an adequate amount of practices, but at the same time wanted to make sure his players stayed healthy.
Tyler mentioned that the two teams coming in shouldn't be underestimated: “We'll have to play well, there's not a team on our schedule that is a team we can look past. We will have to come out and be focused and ready to compete.
“We're playing really well, so if we come out and play the kind of tennis that we know how to play, and that we've been playing in practice, then I feel great about the weekend,” Tyler added.
Valparaiso has yet to secure a point this season, losing a pair of 7-0 decisions. Bradley is 9-6 all-time against the Crusaders and earned 7-0 win in the last meeting, Feb. 23, 2013 for its sixth straight win in the series.
SIUE has played five matches on the year, including wins against Butler, Chicago State and Missouri State. In its last match, the Cougars defeated Bradley's Missouri Valley Conference rival Missouri State, 5-2. Bradley is 3-5 all-time versus SIUE, but the Braves earned a 4-3 win in last year's matchup at Edwardsville.
Admission to all Bradley Tennis home matches is free.
