Bradley Tennis Extends Win Streak to Four

Braves down both Wright State and Butler by 5-2 scores Saturday at Clubs at River City

Bradley University Marketing

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Women's Tennis 2/25/2017 5:13:00 PM

PEORIA, IL - Bradley Tennis extended its winning streak to four straight matches with its second consecutive Saturday sweep. The Braves (6-3) downed Wright State and Butler by 5-2 scores Saturday at the Clubs at River City South.

"It was a great day," said Bradley head coach Matt Tyler. "Anytime you come away with two wins, it's a great day; I don't care how you get it done. The Wright State win was huge. That's a really good team and I thought we played outstanding, and then Butler was a really tough match."

After dropping all three doubles matches in the opener against Wright State (5-7), the Braves rallied to win five of the six singles matches against the Raiders. After dropping 10-of-12 games to fall behind 4-1 in the third set in her match at No. 4 singles, junior Alexa Brandt rallied to win six of the next seven games to earn Bradley's clinching point: 6-0, 1-6, 7-5.

Wright State took a 2-0 lead after starting singles play with a win at No. 2 singles, before sophomore Malini Wijesinghe put the Braves on the board with a 7-6 (4), 6-1 win at No. 6 singles. Senior Ariel Dechter added a 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 win at No. 1 singles and freshman Natalia Barbery put the Braves on the brink of the team win with a 6-3, 7-6 (2) victory at No. 3 singles. With the team win secured, junior Aimee Manfredo completed the action with a 3-set win at No. 5 singles: 6-7 (5), 7-5, 10-5.

In the day's second match, Bradley was forced to make a lineup shift after sweeping through the doubles point against the Bulldogs. Although Barbery teamed with Ashley Thai for 6-0 win at No. 1 doubles, she injured her ankle during the match and was unable to play in her typical No. 3 singles position. The Braves moved each of the bottom three players in their order up a spot and moved sophomore Julie Martin into the No. 6 position.

Martin delivered the match's clinching point in 3-set fashion, earning a 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 win for her first dual match victory of the spring.

"You have to be ready for whatever gets thrown at you, obviously," said Martin. "It's exciting for me to get to play, but you have to have that confidence and just know that I can do it and I am here for a reason."

Martin's victory was symbolic of the team's overall result, as all four of the players who moved up in the order came through with victories. Brandt rolled to a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 3 singles, Manfredo turned in a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 4 and Wijesinghe pulled out a 7-6 (4), 0-6, 6-4 win at No. 5.

"Butler was a tough match for sure," said Tyler, "especially pulling Natalia out at three singles and moving everybody up. Having Julie Martin step in and get a huge win at No. 6 was outstanding."

Bradley will wrap up its season-long, 6-match home stand with two more dual matches next weekend at the Clubs at River City. The Braves will host DePaul Saturday at noon, followed by a 3 p.m. dual March 5 versus Valparaiso.

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