Box Score Western Michigan rallied in doubles to take the team point and rode that momentum to wins in four of six singles matches to escape with a 5-2 win over Chicago State Sunday afternoon at West Hills Athletic Club in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Tied 1-1 in doubles, the Cougars dropped the deciding match 7-5 then won four of the first five singles matches to clinch the win. CSU's
Ethel Li and
Nia Cooper each won in three sets, at No. 5 and 6, respectively. Cooper, a freshman, has won her last four singles matches in a row for the Cougars.
"We played with more confidence than we have all season and it was good to see," head coach
Jack Barton said. "I told our women that we can't give anything away. Points we are set up to win, we have to close. Case in point, No. 1 doubles, we had an opportunity to break serve and go up 5-3. At deuce, we missed an easy volley and the match was tied 4-4 and that was the opening they needed to stay in the match. I like the way Manu and Nia shook it off to get to 7-5, but we have to close those opportunities. We had some really close matches and I think we are moving in the right direction."
Compete results listed below.
The Cougars will stop in South Bend, Indiana on the way home from Western Michigan to play Notre Dame at Eck Tennis Pavilion at 6 p.m.
Chicago State vs Western Michigan
2/4/2024 at Kalamazoo, Michigan
(West Hills Athletic Club)
Western Michigan 5, Chicago State 2
Singles competition
1. Lindsey Zieglar (WMUW) def.
Katarina Dukic (CSUW) 6-1, 6-2
2. Karin Hamilton (WMUW) def.
Sofiya Sedovich (CSUW) 7-5, 6-4
3. Valeriya Monko (WMUW) def.
Manuella Eloundou (CSUW) 7-5, 6-3
4. Polinia Khotko (WMUW) def.
Amina Taibi (CSUW) 7-5, 6-4
5.
Ethel Li (CSUW) def. Audrey Smitek (WMUW) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1
6.
Nia Cooper (CSUW) def. Ariane Souligny (WMUW) 1-6, 6-3, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Lindsey Zieglar/Valeriya Monko (WMUW) def.
Manuella Eloundou/
Nia Cooper (CSUW) 7-5
2.
Sofiya Sedovich/
Ethel Li (CSUW) def. Karin Hamilton/Audrey Smitek (WMUW) 6-2
3. Ariane Souligny/Polinia Khotko (WMUW) def.
Amina Taibi/
Katarina Dukic (CSUW) 6-2
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,5,3,4,6,2)
About Chicago State Athletics
Chicago State University competes in the Northeast Conference (effective July 2024) and sponsors 16 Division I intercollegiate athletics teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, triathlon and volleyball.
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