East Michigan News

The Eastern Michigan University tennis team narrowly lost to the University of California Riverside, with a final score of 4-3 on February 27 at the SRC Tennis Courts in Riverside, California. The Eagles, now holding a 5-6 record, struggled after falling behind 3-1 but managed to tie the match before ultimately losing.

"It was a tough battle today," said Head Coach Ryan Kucera. "We really fought back, losing the doubles point, and then, only winning one first set in singles, our backs were against the wall. To end up one tie break away from pulling out the win is a big testament to how tough an out we are. In the end, we've learned a lot on this trip and we will use it to push forward into MAC play."

UC Riverside's team (3-7) secured an early advantage by winning the doubles point with victories at No. 1 and No. 2 positions. However, Eastern Michigan's pair Lara Diaz Zayas and Regina Mendez claimed victory at No. 3 doubles with a score of 6-4.

In singles play, Viki Hazmukova from EMU evened the score by defeating her opponent in straight sets at No. 2 singles with scores of 6-0 and 6-2. UC Riverside regained their lead with wins at No. 4 and No. 5 singles matches.

The Eagles responded as Diaz Zayas won her match at No. 6 in three sets: 6-7(5), 6-0, and 6-1. Prerna Vichare followed with another three-set victory at No. 3: scores being 4-6, 7-5, and finally securing it in a tiebreaker with a score of [7] - [5]. However, Daniella Shved lost her decisive match at No.1 in another closely contested third-set tiebreaker: scores being [7]-[5], [5]-[7], and finally [7]-[1].

Looking ahead, Eastern Michigan will face off against the University of Illinois Chicago on March 8 at the Chippewa Club located in Ypsilanti starting at one p.m.

Fans can stay informed about EMU tennis through its social media channels available on Instagram (@emu_tennis), X (@EMUEaglesTennis), as well as Facebook (EMUTennis).