Tennis to Host SLU in Final Non-Conference Home Match

The Braves (8-4) will host Saint Louis Thursday before starting a 4-match road swing to end the non-conference portion of the 2019 schedule

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Women's Tennis 3/6/2019 10:42:00 AM

NON-CONFERENCE HOME FINALE
Thursday's noon dual match against Saint Louis at the Clubs at River City will be the final non-conference home match of the year … Following the dual against the Billikens, the Braves will play four straight non-conference road matches, before returning home to host I-74 rival Illinois State in the Missouri Valley Conference opener March 30 … Prior to head coach Matt Tyler's arrival in 2013, the Braves had not enjoyed a winning home record since 1997-98 … With one win in its final four home matches, Bradley will secure a winning ledger in Peoria for the fourth time in the last five years.

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 7 vs. SAINT LOUIS, 12:00 p.m. (Peoria, IL/Clubs at River City)
Sunday, March 10 at Tulsa, 10 a.m. (Tulsa, OK/Michael D. Case Tennis Center)

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
Friday, March 1 at Murray State, A, L, 2-5
Saturday, March 2 at Southeast Missouri State, A, L, 3-4

SINGLES PLAYER-OF-THE-WEEK NOMINEE
Natalia Barbery, Bradley, Jr., Santa Cruz, Bolivia (Evert Tennis Academy, FL)
Barbery was the lone Brave to enjoy a perfect, 2-0 record in singles action during the team's trip to western Kentucky for dual matches Friday at Murray State and Sunday against Southeast Missouri State … In Friday's match at Murray State, Barbery's straight-sets victory at No. 4 Singles pulled the Braves into a 2-2 tie at the time of her finish … In Saturday's match at SEMO, Barbery's 3-set win also pulled the Braves into a 2-2 tie … Barbery now has won three straight singles matches, improving to 14-6 overall and 6-3 at No. 4 Singles during the dual season … The 14 singles wins to date matches her season-best total.

THREE BRAVES WITH NINE POSITION WINS
As Bradley prepares for the second half of its dual match season, the Braves already have matched a statistical rarity in the program's history … Bradley's lineup includes three players who already have accumulated nine wins at their respective spots in the playing order … Sophomore Sandra Maletin is 9-2 at No. 1 Singles, freshman Bozana Lojpur is 9-3 at No. 2 Singles and senior Malini Wijesinghe is 9-2 at No. 3 Singles … With positional records available dating back to the 1998-99 season, only the 2014-15 Braves are the only Bradley team to produce three players with at least nine wins at a playing position – Ariel Dechter 14-4 at No. 2, Aimee Manfredo 12-12 at No. 3 and Ashley Thai 10-12 at No. 4.

FIVE WITH 15 WINS
With at least 11 matches remaining this spring, the Braves are on the cusp of matching the 2013-14 squad with another W-L distinction … The 2013-14 squad is the only team in Bradley Women's Tennis history to produce five players with at least 15 total singles wins for the year … As the Braves prepare for their two matches this week, five players own at least 14 singles wins on the year: sophomore Sandra Maletin (17-4), freshman Bozana Lojpur (16-8), senior Malini Wijesinghe (15-7), junior Natalia Barbery (14-6) and freshman Nikki Perlwitz (14-9).

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