Box Score Park Forest, IL — Despite not fielding a No. 3 doubles team or a No. 6 singles competitor, the short-handed Chicago State women's tennis team beat the visiting Northern Iowa Panthers Saturday afternoon in Park Forest. The Cougars won four of the five singles matches in which they competed which was enough for a 4-3 win.
The two teams split a pair of matches in which they competed but Northern Iowa claimed the team points when the Cougars did not have a pairing on the third line.
Kristina Pukhaeva and
Katarina Drazic won 7-5 at No. 1 and
Sofiya Sedovich and
Susana Andres lost 6-0 at No. 2.
"It was a great team win today," associate head coach
Wyatt Pauley said. "I could not be more proud of the fight the women showed on the court in doubles and singles. Doubles was a tough start but we were able to take some positives into the singles matches."
In singles, the Panthers led 2-0 going into the last five matches but the Cougars claimed victories in four of the five matches in which they competed to earn the win. Northern Iowa won the first match when freshman
Sofiya Sedovich retired, trailing 6-2, 3-0 at No. 2. Chicago State wouldn't drop another match the rest of the afternoon.
Kristina Pukhaeva won 6-3, 0-6, 7-5 at No. 1 while, at No. 3,
Katarina Drazic won 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2).
Susana Andres won 7-5, 6-2 at No. 5 and the Cougars clinched the win when
Katarina Dukic defeated Valentina Caro 7-5, 2-6, 6-3..
"There were about three different times we were on the ropes during singles play but managed to take back the momentum and win the match," Pauley said. "We'll be back at it tomorrow against Eastern Illinois."
The women's tennis team is scheduled to take on Eastern Illinois on Sunday, March 28 at 2 p.m. in Park Forest. Following that contest, the Cougars will compete in its second WAC conference pod on April 1-2, traveling to Edinburg, Texas, for matches against Seattle University (April 1) and Dixie State University (April 2). CSU is scheduled for a non-conference match against the University of Chicago before traveling to Las Cruces, New Mexico, for their final WAC pod of the season, April 16-17, against New Mexico State and Grand Canyon University. The Cougars will then have a pair of non-conference matches against St. Louis and Cardinal Stritch before going to the WAC Tournament, scheduled for April 30-May 2 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
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