DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University women's tennis team won a pair of matches Saturday – defeating previously undefeated Pacific, 4-1, before blanking NAIA stalwart Cardinal Stritch, 7-0 – at Chick Evans Field House.
 
With the wins, NIU improved its dual match record to 7-3 on the season. 
 
Versus Pacific, a team that entered the match 4-0 after defeating UIC Friday, the Huskies got out to a 1-0 lead after winning the doubles point on the strength of 6-4 wins by its No. 1 and No. 3 doubles teams.  In singles, NIU got wins at No. 2, No. 1 and No. 4 – in that order – to earn the win. 
 
At No. 2 singles, Diana Lukyanova defeated MiaAngelina Ruja, 6-1, 6-2, Erika Dimitriev earned a hard-fought win over Klara Kosan, 7-6, 6-2. After the Tigers tightened the match by taking the point at No. 3, Reagan Welch clinched the team victory with a 6-3, 6-4 win.
 
"That was a really good win for us today, beating a Pacific team that came in undefeated after a win over UIC," said NIU head coach Eric Burns. "A big key to that match was getting off to such a good start in doubles. We played really well at No. 1 with Erika and Anastasia [Rakita] and then we put a team at No. 3 that hadn't played together this year in two seniors – Christy Robinson and Fernanda Naves – and they gave us a much-needed lift at that spot.
 
"It was a good effort across the board against Pacific and that carried over to the afternoon match versus Cardinal Stritch."
 
In the afternoon, Dimitriev defeated the Wolves' Kissmel Cedano, a player ranked in the Top 50 in the ITA NAIA singles rankings, 6-0, 6-3 to lead the way. Rakita blanked her opponent in just 37 minutes, 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3 and Lukyanova won 6-2, 6-1 at No. 2 singles.
 
"It was a good win to beat them as handily as we did," Burns said. "It was great to have a chance to put in some new players at 4-5-6 [singles], and everyone finished with a win today."
 
NIU returns to action next Saturday and Sunday when they travel to Iowa, playing Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls on February 26 and Drake in Des Moines on February 27.    
 
NIU 4, Pacific 1
 
Singles
1. Erika Dimitriev (NIU) def. Klara Kosan (PAC) 7-6, 6-2
2. Diana Lukyanova (NIU) def. Miaangelina Ruja (PAC) 6-1, 6-2
3. Zoe ClydesdaleEberle (PAC) def. Anastasia Rakita (NIU) 7-5, 6-0
4. Reagan Welch (NIU) def. Danielle Zamora (PAC) 6-3, 6-4
5. Angelica Ross (NIU) vs. Megan Carmichael (PAC) 6-2, 4-3, unfinished
6. Christy Robinson (NIU) vs. Cindy Ung (PAC) 1-6, 3-4, unfinished
 
Doubles
1. Erika Dimitriev/Anastasia Rakita (NIU) def. Klara Kosan/Danielle Zamora (PAC) 6-4
2. Diana Lukyanova/Reagan Welch (NIU) def. Cindy Ung/Alexis Sam (PAC) 5-4
3. Christy Robinson/Fernanda Naves (NIU) def. Megan Carmichael/Maile Brilhante (PAC) 6-4
NIU 7, Cardinal Stritch 0
 
Singles
1. Erika Dimitriev (NIU) def. Kissmel Cedano (CSU) 6-0, 6-3
2. Diana Lukyanova (NIU) def. Nina Westkamp (CSU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Anastasia Rakita (NIU) def. Ana Alvarez (CSU) 6-0, 6-0
4. Fernanda Naves (NIU) def. Emerson Banning (CSU) 7-5, 6-2
5. Iuliia Dmitrieva (NIU) def. Samia Maaroufi (CSU) 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (11-9)
6. Paula Veyhle (NIU) def. Marta Garcia (CSU) 6-1, 6-3
 
Doubles
1. Erika Dimitriev/Anastasia Rakita (NIU) def. Samia Maaroufi/Kissmel Cedano (CSU) 6-1
2. Diana Lukyanova/Reagan Welch (NIU) def. Nina Westkamp/Ana Alvarez (CSU) 6-1
3. Iuliia Dmitrieva/Angelica Ross (NIU) def. Ricarda Spartmann/Emerson Banning (CSU) 6-0
 
-- NIU --