Bradley University Athletics

Tennis Season Ends in MVC Semifinals

With the final three matches going into the third set, SIU earns 4-1 victory

Illinois State Athletics

Match Results

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications & Operations Women's Tennis 4/29/2017 9:37:00 PM

2017 MVC WOMEN'S TENNIS TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
SEMIFINAL #2
(2) Southern Illinois 4, (6) Bradley 1

BLOOMINGTON, IL - Bradley's run at its first-ever appearance in the championship match of the Missouri Valley Conference Women's Tennis Team Championship came up short when the sixth-seeded Braves (12-14) dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 2 seed Southern Illinois (13-11) Saturday night at the Bloomington Tennis Center.

With Bradley leading the other two matches still in action in the decisive third sets, Southern Illinois earned the clinching point when Meagan Monaghan pulled out a third-set victory at No. 4 Singles against Alexa Brandt. Brandt kept Bradley's chances to rally alive by forcing the third set, bouncing back from a 6-3 loss in her first set with a 6-4 win in the second, only to see Monaghan score the clinching point with a 6-2 win in the third set.

Indicative of the entire match, Southern Illinois earned the first point of the semifinal match by winning at Nos. 1 and 2 Doubles, but in hard fought fashion with 6-4 and 7-5 scores, respectively.

After the Salukis stretched their lead to 2-0 when Alejandra de Lasa retired in the second set at No. 2 Singles, the Salukis grabbed a commanding, 3-0 lead when Vitoria Beiroa took a 6-4, 6-2 win against Ashley Thai in No. 6 Singles.

The Braves started to rally, however, when freshman Natalia Barbery quickly followed with a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 3 Singles. Brandt, Ariel Dechter (No. 1 Singles) and Malini Wijesinghe (No. 5) all went into third sets in their matches. Dechter held a 2-1 lead in her third set and Wijesinghe led 4-1 when Monaghan won her deciding point.

Bradley completed its season in the MVC Tournament semifinals for the second consecutive year and Bradley's 25 wins in the last two seasons represent the program's best-ever two-year victory total against NCAA Division I competition. Although the 1991-92 (13-7) and 1992-93 (14-7) teams combined for 27 victories in two seasons, seven of those wins came against non-Division I teams.

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