The Chicago State women's tennis team beat Eastern Michigan 4-3 Friday at the H-F Racquet and Fitness Club in Homewood. The Cougars earned the doubles point with a quick 6-1 win at No. 1 (
Cali Fuller/
Sofiya Sedovich) but lost at No. 3, leaving the deciding match at No. 2 where
Kristina Pukhaeva and
Ethel Li won 6-3 to give Chicago State an early 1-0 advantage. In singles, Eastern Michigan won at No. 4 and No. 2 before
Cali Fuller won 6-3, 6-3 at No. 1 to tie the match 2-2. Eastern Michigan earned a win at No. 3 and just needed to win one of the final two matches on the court to clinch the victory. On the court at No. 5 singles for CSU was Manuella Eloundou-Ng, whose identical twin sister, Linda, was playing at No. 6 singles for Eastern Michigan. Manuella earned a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 win leaving the outcome in the final match of the day where
Ethel Li won 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to give the Cougars a hard-fought 4-3 win.
"The girls showed a lot of grit today," head coach
Jack Barton said. "It was an exciting match. We won doubles but we knew that EMU was gonna come hard at us in singles. We lost a little bit of focus in singles but we got back on track when we needed to.
"I'm really proud of the way Ethel (Li) played. She showed a lot of poise and maturity. As a freshman, having the match on your shoulders, can be very stressful but she handled it well. This was her first win and it was a memorable one."
Compete results listed below.
The Cougars will be back on the court tomorrow (Saturday, February 11) hosting their second of three consecutive weekend matches, welcoming Nebraska Omaha to the H-F Racquet & Fitness Club in Homewood at 10 a.m. They will wrap up weekend play Sunday against Northern Iowa at 10 a.m. at home.
Women's Tennis
Eastern Michigan vs Chicago State
February 10, 2023 at Homewood, Illinois
(H-F Racquet and Fitness Club)
Chicago State 4, Eastern Michigan 3
Singles competition
1.
Cali Fuller (CSU-W) def. Andrea Quiroz (EM-W) 6-3, 6-3
2. Prerna Vichare (EM-W) def.
Katarina Dukic (CSU-W) 6-3, 6-2
3. Wanyi Zhang (EM-W) def.
Kristina Pukhaeva (CSU-W) 6-3, 7-5
4. Sabina Brichackova (EM-W) def.
Sofiya Sedovich (CSU-W) 6-0, 6-2
5.
Ethel Li (CSU-W) def. Linda Eloundou Nga (EM-W) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
6. Manuella Eloundou-Ng (CSU-W) def. Vidisha Reddy (EM-W) 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
Doubles competition
1.
Cali Fuller/
Sofiya Sedovich (CSU-W) def. Sabina Brichackova/Andrea Quiroz (EM-W) 6-1
2.
Kristina Pukhaeva/
Ethel Li (CSU-W) def. Prerna Vichare/Linda Eloundou Nga (EM-W) 6-3
3. Wanyi Zhang/Daniella Shved (EM-W) def.
Katarina Dukic/Manuella Eloundou-Ng (CSU-W) 6-3
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (4,2,1,3,6,5)
About Chicago State Athletics
Chicago State University Athletics is composed of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994.
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