Bradley University Athletics

Tennis Sweeps MVC Weekly Awards

MVC Notebook

Josh Schwam, Athletics Communications Student Assistant Women's Tennis 2/15/2022 3:00:00 PM

ST. LOUIS – For the first time since 2019 and the second in program history, Bradley Tennis has swept the Missouri Valley Conference Weekly Awards as Bozana Lojpur was named Singles Player of the Week and Madalena Andrade/Kirstin Hailey were recognized as Doubles Team of the Week, according to an announcement from the league office Tuesday afternoon.

Lojpur was named Singles Player of the week for the third time in her career. The total ranks her second in program history behind former teammate Sandra Maletin, who has seven.

Lojpur earned the honor after two gritty three-set wins at No. 1 Singles against Omaha and Eastern Illinois, matches that the Braves won, both 4-2, on Saturday at Parkside Fitness.

She was the only No. 1 Player in the MVC with two singles wins last week and the only undefeated No. 1 Singles player in the league against Division I competition.

Against the Mavericks, Lojpur defeated Madison Gallegos 6-3, 1-6, 6-4. Gallegos was previously 2-2 on the season, including a straight set win over Mary Houston of Missouri State. Omaha was 5-1 entering competition, including wins against Valley foes Missouri State and UNI. Against Eastern Illinois, Lojpur took down Rachel Papavasilopoulos, a 2021 Ohio Valley Conference First Team honoree who also defeated Gallegos earlier in the day.

Lojpur's wins at No. 1 were the second and third of her time patrolling the top spot as a Brave. She is currently tied for seventh place in program history with 58 career singles wins.

Andrade/Hailey played pivotal roles in Bradley's victories, securing two wins at the No. 1 Doubles spot by scores of 6-4 and 6-1 respectively.

The tandem was the only MVC No. 1 Doubles team to record two wins against Division I opponents and the only No. 1 Doubles team in the league that aided two doubles point victories. Omaha entered the contest 5-1 doubles point competition, including an undefeated 6-0 mark at the No. 1 spot before Andrade/Hailey changed that. It was more of the same against Eastern Illinois as the duo clinched the doubles point for Bradley en-route to BU's match win.

The Braves have swept the MVC Weekly Awards once prior, on February 26, 2019. Maletin collected her second career Singles Player of the Week, while Lojpur partnered with Malini Wijesinghe to earn Doubles Team of the Week.

With Maria Bezmenova's recognition as Valley Singles Player of the Week last week, this marks the second time Bradley Tennis has earned the award in back-to-back weeks. The Braves rattled off four straight Singles Player of Week awards from February 5^th – 26^th, 2019.

Bradley Tennis will take a five-match home winning streak into Saturday's match against Western Illinois, beginning at 11 o'clock. Admission to the clash at Parkside Fitness is free.

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