BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Women's Tennis claimed a 4-2 victory over UIC on Sunday at the Warren County Tennis Facility at Michael O. Buchanon Park.
It was the second victory of the weekend for the Lady Toppers, who also knocked off Wyoming, 4-3, on Saturday and now sit at 4-1 this season in home matches. WKU is now 5-5 overall this spring.
"That was a big win for us," WKU Head Coach Greg Davis said. "The one thing as a coach you always guard against is when you have a quick turnaround in competitions, going into the next day, is complacency or a drop, especially after a big win. For us to be able to come back and respond in 12 hours after having one of the biggest wins in the program's history says a lot for the team, especially because we got down 1-0, we were down two sets at 1 and 6 – Paola and Sunskrithi – and both got back into the third scratching and clawing and fought all the way through. Really proud of the team from where we started at the beginning of the season to where we are now. This was a big weekend for us. We played well and competed very well."
The Lady Toppers picked up a doubles victory from the pair of Samantha Martinez and Mariana Zegada by defeating UIC's (2-6) Paula Rodriguez Gregoris and Zara Ryan 6-1, but WKU dropped the doubles point for the early deficit.
WKU claimed singles victories from Rachel Hermanova, Sofia Blanco, Anna-Marie Kopecka, and Sunskrithi Damera to earn the win in the match, however.
"I think it was about working hard the whole week," Hermanova said. "We have been working hard since the beginning of the season and it's finally starting to pay off. It was really hard work the last two days, but we did it and we were there believing in each other and believing in ourselves and we got the W twice."
Hermanova defeated Tamara Malazonia 6-2, 6-4; Blanco defeated Mayu Ushio 6-3, 6-2; Kopecka defeated Ryan 6-2, 6-4; and Damera defeated Anais Brion 1-6, 6-4, 6-1. Damera clinched the match for WKU with her win one day after clinching the victory for the Lady Toppers against Wyoming. WKU's Paola Cortez also overcame a loss in the first set against UIC's Agnes Gustafsson and was preparing to enter a tiebreaker in the third set when the match was decided.
"Even though we had a setback in doubles, we reset and came back stronger," said Blanco, who is now 8-1 in singles play this season.
WKU will remain home for its next four matches. The Lady Toppers are next scheduled to face Belmont on Saturday, March 2, and IUPUI on Sunday, March 3.
Final Results
Singles (Order of finish: 3, 4, 2, 5, 6)
Paola Cortez (WKU) vs. Agnes Gustafsson (UIC) 0-6, 6-1, 6-6, unfinished
Rachel Hermanova (WKU) def. Tamara Malazonia (UIC) 6-2, 6-4
Sofia Blanco (WKU) def. Mayu Ushio (UIC) 6-3, 6-2
Camille Belberka (UIC) def. Sayda Hernandez (WKU) 6-2, 6-3
Anna-Marie Kopecka (WKU) def. Zara Ryan (UIC) 6-2, 6-4
Sunskrithi Damera (WKU) def. Anais Brion (UIC) 1-6, 6-4, 6-1
Doubles (Order of finish: 3, 1, 2)
Agnes Gustafsson/Mayu Ushio (UIC) def. Paola Cortez/Anna-Marie Kopecka (WKU) 6-2
Camille Belberka/Tamara Malazonia (UIC) def. Sofia Blanco/Rachel Hermanova (WKU) 7-6 (7-1)
Samantha Martinez/Mariana Zegada (WKU) def. Paula Rodriguez Gregoris/Zara Ryan (UIC) 6-1
For all the latest on WKU Women's Tennis, follow @WKUTennis on Twitter and Instagram.
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