Box Score Junior
Sofiya Sedovich completed a Cougars comeback, staving off four match points trailing love-40 and down 5-3 in the third set to pull out a 7-5 win in the deciding match to deliver the Cougars to the Horizon League semifinals with a 4-3 win over Oakland Friday at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Oakland captured the doubles point, pulling out a win in the deciding match at No. 1 for an early 1-0 lead. In singles, each of the six matches went to a third and deciding match. Chicago State tied the match when
Kristina Pukhaeva won at No. 5 before Oakland won at No. 6 to regain the lead, 2-1. The Cougars then won back-to-back matches at No. 2 (
Katarina Dukic) and No. 4 (
Manuella Eloundou) to take a 3-2 lead with two matches still being contested,
Cali Fuller at No. 1 and
Sofiya Sedovich at No. 3. Fuller drop a 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 decision leaving the deciding match at No. 3, where Sedovich trailed 5-3, love-40, a point away from defeat. Sedovich prevailed in four match points to eventually tie and take the lead, delivering a 7-5 third-set win to send the Cougars into the Saturday's semifinals against Cleveland State.
"First, my hats off to Oakland," head coach
Jack Barton said. "They played with incredible fight and determination. We played with a fighting spirit and they were determined not to lose today. Doubles really had an air of nervous energy. That really didn't do us any favors. So when reality hit after we lost the doubles point the nerves went away.
"There were several momentum shifts in singles where neither team could gain any ground and just cruise to the end. I've never coached a match, nor seen a match, where all six singles went to three sets. I don't have the words that can explain the mental toughness of Sofiya (Sedovich) today. She was down 5-3 (Love-40) with the match tied 3-3. She fought off four match points and came back to win 7-5."
The Cougars will be back on the court Saturday at 10 a.m. against No. 2 Cleveland State. The Vikings earned the No. 2 seed with a 5-1 conference record, are 14-7 overall and have won five consecutive matches entering the Horizon League Championship which includes a 4-3 home win over the Cougars on April 8.
Compete results listed below.
Oakland vs Chicago State
April 28, 2023 at Ann Arbor, Michigan
(Varsity Tennis Center)
Chicago State 4, Oakland 3
Singles competition
1. Yasmin Glazbrook (OAK) def.
Cali Fuller (CSU-W) 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
2.
Katarina Dukic (CSU-W) def. Jillian Milano (OAK) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
3.
Sofiya Sedovich (CSU-W) def. Isabelle Popma (OAK) 5-7, 6-3, 7-5
4.
Manuella Eloundou (CSU-W) def. Nirva Patel (OAK) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
5.
Kristina Pukhaeva (CSU-W) def. Tegan Heaton (OAK) 6-1, 0-6, 6-2
6. Emma Hultqvist (OAK) def.
Ethel Li (CSU-W) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Nirva Patel/Yasmin Glazbrook (OAK) def.
Manuella Eloundou/
Cali Fuller (CSU-W) 6-4
2.
Kristina Pukhaeva/
Sofiya Sedovich (CSU-W) def. Jillian Milano/Tegan Heaton (OAK) 6-1
3. Isabelle Popma/Emma Hultqvist (OAK) def.
Ethel Li/
Katarina Dukic (CSU-W) 6-2
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (5,6,2,4,1,3)
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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