Nick Smith Director of Compliance | Eastern Michigan Athletics Website
Nick Smith Director of Compliance | Eastern Michigan Athletics Website
The Eastern Michigan University tennis team secured two victories in a doubleheader at the Chippewa Club in Ypsilanti on Saturday, February 22. The Eagles defeated the University of Findlay 4-2 and swept Eastern Illinois University 4-0. This marks three consecutive wins for the Eagles, who now hold a record of 5-4.
Head Coach Ryan Kucera expressed pride in his team's performance: "I am so proud of the team," he said. "We were super gritty today. We didn't have the doubles point we wanted (against Findlay), but the girls dug in. We had to battle from top to bottom and earn every point. Those are the kind of matches where you need to find a way and we did! And then, we followed that up by being laser focused in the second match, we took off in the doubles point, and didn't look back. It was a great day!"
In their first match against Findlay, EMU fell behind after losing the doubles point and dropping a singles match, putting them at a 2-0 deficit. However, they rallied with four straight singles victories to clinch the win. Regina Mendez started with a 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 6 singles, followed by Lara Diaz Zayas' win at No. 5 singles with scores of 6-4, 6-2. Prerna Vichare added another win at No. 3 singles with scores of 6-3, 6-4 before Daniella Shved sealed the victory with her performance at No. 1 singles.
Against Eastern Illinois, EMU captured an early lead by winning the doubles point and maintained momentum throughout singles play to secure a sweep. The team benefited from a forfeit win at No. 3 doubles and continued strong performances from Mendez and Diaz Zayas.
Notably, two players achieved perfect records on the day: Lara Diaz Zayas and Regina Mendez each won both their singles matches and contributed to victories in doubles play as well.
Looking ahead, Eastern Michigan will travel to California for their Spring Break trip where they will face UC San Diego on February 26 and UC Riverside on February 27.
For updates on EMU tennis activities, fans can follow their social media accounts on Instagram (@emu_tennis), X (@EMUEaglesTennis), and Facebook (EMUTennis).
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