East Michigan News

The Eastern Michigan University (EMU) tennis team is set for two important Mid-American Conference (MAC) matches this weekend. The Eagles will travel to face Western Michigan University on Friday, March 21, and then return home to host Ball State University on Sunday, March 23. Both teams are currently 0-1 in MAC play.

In their recent outings, EMU achieved a 7-0 victory against Saginaw Valley State before losing to Northern Illinois, marking their first MAC match of the season. The upcoming match against Western Michigan will be their sixth encounter with a Michigan-based team this year. Currently, the Eagles have a 3-2 record against teams from Michigan.

Eastern's match against Ball State will serve as their MAC home opener. Historically, EMU holds a favorable 25-15 record in such matches and is looking to build on last year's success when they defeated Ball State in their home opener.

The game will also see EMU graduate assistant Masha Polishchuk coaching against her former school for the first time. Polishchuk was named the 2023 MAC Player of the Year during her tenure at Ball State before transferring to Texas Tech for her final collegiate season.

This season has seen significant performances from Sabina Brichackova and Prerna Vichare in doubles play, both making strides up the all-time doubles victories list at EMU. Head Coach Ryan Kucera aims to guide the team to consecutive MAC Tournament appearances for the first time since 2014-2015.

Western Michigan enters the contest with a 9-7 overall record but is yet to secure a win in MAC play after losing to Ball State last week. Meanwhile, Ball State stands at 7-4 overall and is coming off a victory over Western Michigan.

Both upcoming matches are crucial for EMU's aspirations in conference standings and qualification for postseason tournaments.