PEORIA, Ill. - The Bradley Women's Tennis team's breakthrough season got a little sweeter Wednesday when the Braves (11-10, 2-3 MVC) pulled out a 4-3 win against Interstate 74 rival Illinois State to snap a 29-match losing streak to the Redbirds.
Sophomore Ariel Dechter secured the win one day shy of the 28th anniversary of Bradley's last win in the series - a 5-4 decision April 16, 1987 - by rallying for a 3-set win at No. 1 singles for an insurmountable 4-2 Bradley lead.
Bradley got started on the right foot by winning at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles to secure the day's first point. Freshman Alexa Brandt and Ashley Thai earned an 8-4 win at No. 1, quickly followed by Dechter and freshman Aimee Manfredo's 8-3 decision at No. 2.
The Redbirds took a 2-1 lead, however, by earning straight-sets victories at Nos. 5 and 6 singles. The Braves pulled even when Brandt finished off a 6-2, 6-3 win against Donna Haycock at No. 2 singles, then reclaimed the lead when Manfredo completed a 7-5, 6-4 win against Chanel Scudiero at No. 3 singles.
Both Dechter and Thai (No. 4 singles) dropped their opening sets, but both dominated their second sets. Although Thai rolled an ankle during her second-set comeback and hobbled through her third set, Dechter duplicated her 6-1 second-set score in the match's decisive third set against Kadi Ilves. Once the team victory was secured, Thai's match was halted, giving the Redbirds the final point.
Bradley's 11 wins are the most for the Braves since 1992-93 (14-7) and after last weekend's 4-3 win at Missouri State, Bradley has won two Valley dual matches for the first time since 1993-94 (2-3). Bradley is down to just six players and two hobbled by injury - Thai's ankle and senior Carly Miles is fighting back from an ACL tear in the fall - but the Braves will try to carry the momentum of Wednesday's win into their final two matches of the regular season this weekend. Bradley will visit Southern Illinois (13-9, 2-3 MVC) Saturday and Evansville (9-9, 1-4 MVC) Sunday, before returning to Evansville for next weekend's MVC Women's Tennis Championship.
