Bradley University Athletics

Tennis Announces Spring Schedule

Josh Schwam, Communications Student Assistant Women's Tennis 1/17/2022 10:00:00 AM

PEORIA, IL – A trip to Florida for the first time in 15 years, three first-time opponents including two members of the United States Armed Forces Service Academies and one televised match highlight Bradley Women's Tennis' dual match schedule, announced Monday.

The Braves open their spring campaign Friday at DePaul. Bradley will stay in Chicago and play Army Saturday, marking the first time in program history BU will play a U.S. Armed Forces Service Academy.

Bradley will head back north the next weekend, playing both Wisconsin and Northern Illinois Jan. 29 in Rockford. BU is 0-2 against Wisconsin, with the last matchup coming in Madison in 2018. Bradley has much more of a history against NIU. This will mark the 23rd meeting between the Braves and the Huskies, with Bradley winners of four in a row and five of the last six.

The following weekend sees the Braves play road matches on consecutive days for the first time since early in the 2019-20 season when BU visits Chicago State and UIC. The Braves have won six in a row against the Cougars, not faltering since 2012. Bradley has dropped contests to the Flames each of the last three years.

After three consecutive weekends away from Peoria, Bradley will play its first matches at Parkside Fitness in Pekin Feb. 12, when BU hosts Omaha and Eastern Illinois.

The Braves wrap up a season-long, three-match home stand Feb. 19 against Western Illinois. BU has won 11 in a row against the Leathernecks. In nine of those matchups, Bradley did not surrender a point.

The Braves travel to Edwardsville to play SIUE Feb. 25. This will mark the fourth consecutive year the squads meet, with BU taking two of the last three.

The Braves will have eight days before back-to-back matchups in Kentucky against Southeast Missouri State and Murray State. This will be the last matchup for the Braves and Racers before Murray State joins the Missouri Valley Conference this summer.

In search of warm weather, BU will head to Orlando during spring break. The Braves will play three matches in three days against Merrimack College, Navy and North Dakota. It will be Bradley's third visit to the Sunshine State and first since the Braves went to Orlando in 2006. BU also visited Pensacola in 2003. Bradley's two Floridians - Juliana Martinez and Nikki Perlwitz – are playing in their home state for the first time. Martinez hails from Miami and Perlwitz from Weston.

For the sixth consecutive year of Valley play, Bradley opens the conference slate against Illinois State. The I-74 rivals will start league play March 26 at ISU's Gregory Street Tennis Courts.

Bradley's April 3 match against Missouri State will be broadcasted on The Valley on ESPN. It will be the second straight year and fourth time as a program BU has had a match hit the screens. Trips to UNI, Drake and Saint Louis (non-conference) finish up Bradley's road slate and the regular-season finale will be April 16 at home against Valparaiso.

Bradley Tennis is coming off three consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1990-1993. BU was picked third in the 2022 MVC Preseason Poll.

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Players Mentioned

Nikki Perlwitz: 5' 7"; Sophomore

Juliana Martinez: 5' 8"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Nikki Perlwitz
: 5' 7"; Sophomore

Juliana Martinez
: 5' 8"; Sophomore