Women's Tennis | February 27

DES MOINES, Iowa – Five of six singles matches went to three sets as the Northern Illinois University women's tennis team battled Drake at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center in Des Moines, Iowa Sunday. In the end, the Bulldogs were able to pull out three of those three-set matches at the top of the line-up to earn a 5-2 win over NIU.
 
Drake took a 1-0 lead after sweeping the doubles matches and went ahead 2-0 after a straight set win at No. 5 singles.
 
NIU's Diana Lukyanova fell to Ines Stephani of Drake, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 as the Bulldogs went ahead 3-0. Huskie freshman Reagan Welch closed the gap with a win on the fourth line. After dropping the first set, 6-2 to Mille Haagensen, Welch won the next two – 7-5, 6-3 to score NIU's first point. Senior Christy Robinson's win at No. 6 singles over Kelsey Neville followed a similar script as she came back to take the second and third sets, 6-3, 6-4 after dropping the first, 4-6.
 
Trailing 3-2, Drake's Liza Petushkova clinched the team win by defeating NIU's Erika Dimitriev at No. 1 singles, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5.  The Bulldogs also earned the three-set win at No. 3 singles for the final margin.
 
With the loss, NIU falls to 8-4 on the season while Drake improves to 5-3.  The Huskies are in action again on Friday, March 4 with a pair of matches at Chick Evans Field House in DeKalb.  NIU will face South Dakota at 1 p.m. and take on Wisconsin-Whitewater at 6 p.m.
 
Drake 5, NIU 2
Des Moines, Iowa (Roger Knapp Tennis Center)
 
Singles
1. Liza Petushkova (DRAKE) def. Erika Dimitriev (NIU) 6-2, 6-7, 7-5
2. Ines Stephani (DRAKE) def. Diana Lukyanova (NIU) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
3. Daria Walczak (DRAKE) def. Anastasia Rakita (NIU) 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
4. Reagan Welch (NIU) def. Mille Haagensen (DRAKE) 2-6, 7-5, 6-3
5. Darinka Stepan (DRAKE) def. Angelica Ross (NIU) 6-3, 6-2
6. Christy Robinson (NIU) def. Kelsey Neville (DRAKE) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
 
Doubles
1. Liza Petushkova/Daria Walczak (DRAKE) def. Erika Dimitriev/Anastasia Rakita (NIU) 6-3
2. Ines Stephani/Rebecca Ehn (DRAKE) def. Diana Lukyanova/Reagan Welch (NIU) 6-0
3. Mille Haagensen/Darinka Stepan (DRAKE) def. Iuliia Dmitrieva/Angelica Ross (NIU) 6-1
 
-- NIU --