East Michigan News

Four players from the Eastern Michigan University tennis team participated in the 2025 University of Michigan Invitational held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, from January 10-12. The event marked the beginning of their spring schedule as they faced off against strong opponents from nationally ranked teams, including No. 8 Michigan, No. 15 Ohio State University, and Texas Tech University.

Head Coach Ryan Kucera expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance despite not securing any victories. "This weekend was a great opportunity for our program and I'm so proud of how the ladies represented us," Kucera said. He highlighted the valuable experience gained by playing against top-tier competitors, which he believes will benefit them in future matches.

Daniella Shved faced several challenging matches during the tournament. She competed against two nationally-ranked singles players and a doubles team alongside her partner Marta Komar. Shved lost to No. 18 Piper Charney (Michigan), No. 84 Sydni Ratliff (Ohio State), and Mariia Hlahola (Texas Tech) in singles play. In doubles, Shved and Komar were defeated by Hlahola and Hailey Murphy on the first day.

Freshman Iva Daneva encountered her first nationally-ranked opponent, Lily Jones from Michigan, resulting in a loss but showed resilience by nearly winning against Teah Chavez from Ohio State before falling short. Viki Hazmukova also came close to victory against Elena Daskalova from Texas Tech but ultimately lost in a third-set tiebreaker.

The doubles team of Daneva and Hazmukova played three matches over the weekend but were unable to secure wins against ranked opponents such as Andreea Lila and Jermine Sherif from Texas Tech.

Looking ahead, Eastern Michigan will begin its spring dual season with a home doubleheader against Ferris State University on January 18 at the Chippewa Club in Ypsilanti.