DeKALB, Ill. – As Northern Illinois University women's tennis seniors Paula Veyhle, Iullia Dmitrieva, Christy Robinson and Fernanda Naves enter the final weekend of their Huskie careers, they have reason to be proud of the roles they have played in building the program.
 
In their first year at NIU, the Huskies won just five times and were mired in a losing streak to Mid-American Conference opponents that stretched to 15 matches by the end of the season. 
 
With the arrival of new head coach Eric Burns for the 2019-20 campaign and the addition of a talented group of newcomers, the quartet is part of a program that in 2022 has secured its second winning season in the last three years, with 41 dual match wins during that time. NIU's 15 wins to date this season are the most by a Huskie team in 25 years, while the team's six MAC wins in 2021 tied for the most all-time.
 
"They've done a nice job of really buying into the vision of what we're trying to do here to get the program going in the right direction," Burns said. "All of them have contributed in some way at some point and I have a list of great things they have done to help the team improve and to pull out some big matches through their years here. They have helped us build to where we're hoping to get in the future."
 
Dmitrieva has been in the singles line-up 33 times for dual matches over the last four seasons and is 7-1 in those matches to date in 2022, including wins over Toledo and in NIU's two MAC wins over Eastern Michigan. She also is 19-19 all-time in the Huskies' dual match doubles line-up and was 13-7 last year.
 
"Iuliia hasn't always been in the singles line-up, but she has really bought into the way we want to play doubles," Burns said. "She has a knack for playing aggressively and doing what we need on the doubles court. She has pulled out a couple of massive singles wins in her career too, including an unbelievable match last year versus Buffalo in Toledo when she overcame multiple match points. She has really embraced the pressure. When she's been in those situations, she's done really well."
 
Naves has also found her biggest success in the doubles line-up, playing with multiple different partners during her career. She was 7-1 in doubles play in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 dual match season and is 8-12 this season. In dual match competition, she has been in the line-up for 50 singles and 62 doubles matches over the last four years.
 
"Fernanda have always been someone we can count on to compete and has definitely strengthened our doubles line-up over her years here," Burns said. "There are several times she's clinched matches over her years and she's also been a regular in the singles line-up at times, especially prior to this year."
 
Robinson has been a constant in the NIU singles line-up during her four years at NIU while also contributing in doubles. She enters the weekend with a career record of 37-37 in singles in dual matches and has recorded at least 10 singles wins overall in each of her seasons with the Huskies. She has twice recorded 11 singles wins during the dual match season, including in 2021 and 2022 with an 11-9 mark entering the weekend. Her overall singles record, including tournament play is 47-49, and she is 18-20 in doubles for her Huskie career.
 
"Christy is someone whose been in those pressure situations and most of the time, she comes through," Burns said. "She pulled out a big win for us against Miami (Ohio) last year where she overcame match points to come back and get that match in a third set tiebreaker that enabled us to break that streak that Miami had over us. She's always been someone that's been dependable, reliable for us in the singles line-up and has also played a lot of doubles for us."
 
Veyhle was enjoying her most successful season in 2020, with an 11-3 singles record in dual matches and 15 singles wins overall, before COVID-19 prematurely ended the season. She came back to go 11-7 in singles in the spring of 2021 before being sidelined by injury. Still limited by that injury in 2022, Veyhle finishes her career with a winning record in singles dual matches (31-22) and overall (37-32) while posting an 18-19 mark in doubles (dual matches).
 
"Paula has been a great leader for us," Burns said. "She is someone who is great in the classroom and has pulled out some big wins for us over the years. Unfortunately, she got injured last year and hasn't been able to come back completely."
 
Burns said the hard work and resilience of the seniors, as well as their abilities on the court, allows them to leave NIU as winners, knowing they have contributed to the Huskies' turnaround into a winning program.
 
"All four have worked hard, they're all good students and they have all given their best and that's all you can ask for," Burns said. "I think they're excited that they get to leave here on a positive note, to finish their careers with a team that had a winning season this year and in two of their three years with me.  I definitely think they take pride in seeing the program advance to where it is now and look forward to seeing what we can build from here."
 
The Huskies will close out the 2022 season this weekend with home matches Friday (April 22) versus Ball State beginning at 1 p.m. and Sunday (April 24) against Western Michigan beginning with doubles at 11:30 a.m. With rain in the forecast, matches will be played at the new Nelson Tennis Center at Chick Evans Field House. The Huskies' seniors will be honored following Sunday's match. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.  
 
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