Final Weekend of Regular Season

Bradley Tennis will host Missouri Valley Conference rivals Drake and UNI this weekend in the final dual matches of the 2019 regular season

Wijesinghe MVC Scholar-Athlete Spotlight

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Women's Tennis 4/19/2019 9:27:00 AM

PEORIA, IL - Bradley Tennis (13-7, 2-1 MVC) will host Missouri Valley Conference rivals Drake (8-13, 2-1 MVC) and UNI (4-5, 1-2 MVC) in the final dual matches of the 2019 regular season Saturday and Sunday at the David Markin Tennis Courts. The Braves enter the weekend chasing I-74 Rival Illinois State for the 2019 MVC regular-season league title, as well as the program record for victories in a season, and will need a sweep against the Bulldogs and Panthers to have a shot at the two program milestones. Sunday's match against UNI also will be the final regular-season competitions for Bradley seniors Malini Wijesinghe and Lindsay Haight (a redshirt junior who graduates in May). Both matches are slated for 11 a.m. starts at the David Markin Tennis Courts.

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
Saturday, April 20 vs. DRAKE, 11:00 a.m. (Peoria, IL/Markin Tennis Courts)
Sunday, April 21 vs. UNI, 11:00 a.m. (Peoria, IL/Markin Tennis Courts)

LAST WEEK'S RESULT
Sunday, April 14 at Missouri State, A, W, 5-2

FREE ADMISSION AND RED SEA TANK TOPS
Fans are reminded admission is FREE for all Bradley Tennis regular-season home matches ... Bradley Red Sea will be giving away free tank tops to all members attending either of the two home matches this weekend.

MVC SINGLES PLAYER-OF-THE-WEEK
Sandra Maletin, Bradley, So., Belgrade, Serbia
Maletin improved to 21-7 for the year, including 13-5 in the No. 1 Singles position, by rolling to a 6-3, 6-2 win in Sunday's 5-2 win at Missouri State … Maletin's .750 winning percentage for the season is the best by a Bradley Tennis player since 1992-93 and is the best-ever by a Bradley player to face an exclusive NCAA Division I schedule ... She was named MVC Singles Player of the Week for the third time this season.

REACHING FOR NEW HEIGHTS
As Bradley prepares to host Drake Saturday and UNI Sunday in the final dual matches of the regular season, the Braves have a shot at new program milestones … Bradley will take a 13-7 record into Saturday's match against Drake and the Braves enter the weekend with a 2-1 league mark, still with a shot to tie for the regular-season league title … With a least three dual matches left this season, counting the first round of the MVC Tournament, Bradley has never won more than 14 duals in a year, posting 14-7 records in both 1986-97 and 1992-93 … Since the Missouri Valley Conference brought women's sports into the league in 1992-93, the Braves have never won more than three Valley matches: 1992-93 (3-2) and 2015-16 (3-4).

SUNDAY SENIOR DAY
Sunday's 11 a.m. home match versus UNI will be the final regular-season competition for Bradley's lone senior, Malini Wijesinghe, who will be honored with redshirt junior Lindsay Haight prior to the start of the match against the Panthers ... Wijesinghe enters the weekend second in program history with 74 career singles victories and 130 career combined singles and doubles wins.

QUADRUPLE 20'S IN RANGE
As Bradley prepares for its final two dual matches of the regular season, the Braves have a chance to produce four players each with at least 20 singles victories for just the second time in program history … Entering the weekend matches versus Drake and UNI, freshman Bozana Lojur and sophomore Sandra Maletin both have 21 singles wins, while junior Natalia Barbery and senior Malini Wijesinghe both own 19 wins … The 2014-15 season is the only other campaign in Bradley history to produce four 20-win Braves – Ariel Dechter (29-11), Aimee Manfredo (23-15), Alexa Brandt (22-18), Ashley Thai (21-18).

LOJPUR REELING IN WIJESINGHE
Freshman Bozana Lojpur improved to 21-11 in singles action this season with her straight-sets win at No. 2 Singles at Missouri State … Lojpur, who has matched Bradley's single-season record for wins in the No. 2 position (14), sits just two victories behind senior teammate Malini Wijesinghe (2015-16) and Aimee Manfredo (2014-15) for the most singles wins ever by a Bradley freshman.

WINS BY POSITION
With a least three dual matches remaining in the 2018-19 season, Bradley's lineup has an opportunity to set several single-season program records by playing position … Sophomore Sandra Maletin is tied for second with 13 wins at No. 1 Singles, three behind Ariel Dechter's 2015-16 program mark … Freshman Bozana Lojpur has matched Ariel Dechter (2014-15) for the most wins ever at the No. 2 Singles position … Senior Malini Wijesinghe set the program record with her 13th win of the year at No. 3 Singles Sunday at Missouri State … Junior Natalia Barbery tied for second at Bradley with her 10th victory at No. 4 Singles, just two behind Teri Chan's 2004-05 mark.

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