at Bradley 6, Evansville 1
PEORIA, IL - Bradley snapped a 9-match losing streak to Evansville in dominant fashion Sunday, rolling to a 6-1 Missouri Valley Conference dual match win at the Clubs at River City.
The Braves (10-10, 1-2 MVC) had not beaten Evansville (8-15, 0-3 MVC) since a 4-2 victory in the 2006 MVC Tournament, but Bradley continued to take another step forward with its performance Sunday.
Bradley earned the doubles point by sweeping all three matches. Alexa Brandt and Ashley Thai teamed for a 6-4 win at No. 1 doubles, while the tandems of Ariel Dechter/Aimee Manfredo (No. 2 doubles) and Alejandra de Lasa/Irinka Toidze (No. 3) both earned 6-2 wins to complete the doubles sweep.
The Braves secured the team victory by earning straight-sets wins at Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 singles. Manfredo added a 3-set win at No. 5 singles, before the Aces earned their lone point with a tight win at No. 6 singles. De Lasa, who earned Bradley's lone victory Saturday against Southern Illinois, breezed to a 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 2 singles, while Thai was nearly as flawless in her 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 3 singles. Dechter cruised to a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 1 and Brandt checked in with a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 4.
Bradley will close out its 2016 home schedule with two more Valley duals next weekend - Friday (6 p.m.) against #22 Wichita State and Sunday (10 a.m.) versus Missouri State. Both matches are scheduled to be played outdoors at the Bradley University David Markin Tennis Courts.