Bradley University Athletics

Bradley Tennis Advances at MVC Tourney

No. 6 seed Bradley upset tournament host and No. 3 seed Illinois State to advance to the MVC Team Championship semifinals for the second straight year

Illinois State Athletics

Match Results (PDF)

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Women's Tennis 4/28/2017 5:53:00 PM

2017 MVC Women's Tennis Team Championship
(6) Bradley 4, at (3) Illinois State 3

BLOOMINGTON, IL - Junior Alexa Brandt held on for a 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 4 Singles, providing the deciding point in No. 6 seed Bradley's 4-3 upset of tournament host and No. 3 seed Illinois State in quarterfinal action of the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Tennis Team Championship Friday afternoon at Bloomington Tennis Center.

Having defeated Illinois State to reach the MVC Tournament for the second consecutive year, and the second time in program history, Bradley will face No. 2 seed Southern Illinois in Saturday's second semifinal, tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m. at Illinois State's Gregory Street Tennis Courts. Tournament administrators are expected to evaluate the weather conditions at 11 a.m. Saturday to determine if play will need to be moved indoors.

Despite playing with just five players and defaulting No. 3 Doubles and No. 6 Singles, Illinois State pulled even in the match, 1-1, by winning both the Nos. 1 and 2 Doubles. In back-and-forth scoring, the Redbirds pulled ahead when Jelena Karla Vujicic downed Alejandra de Lasa at No. 2 Singles 6-2, 6-0.

Bradley sophomore Malini Wijesinghe knotted things back up at 2-2 by following with a 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 5 Singles, but the Redbirds again pulled ahead, 3-2, when Gabriela Sprague completed her 6-2, 6-2 win against Natalia Barbery at No. 3 Singles.

With the Braves facing elimination and MVC All-Select award winners facing off in No. 1 Singles, senior Ariel Dechter forced the 3-3 tie by earning a 7-5, 6-3 win against Marcia Tere-Apisah, setting the stage for Brandt's clinching point.

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