Women's Tennis | April 22
DeKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois University senior
Christy Robinson defeated Isabelle Behrman of Ball State, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 6 singles to give the NIU Huskies a 4-3 win over Ball State Friday afternoon at the Nelson Tennis Center in Chick Evans Field House.
The Huskies earned their second straight win over a Mid-American Conference opponent and their 16th win of the season to improve to 16-11 overall, 3-6 in the MAC. The 16 dual match wins this season are the most by a Huskie women's tennis team since the 1989-90 Huskies won 17 matches 32 years ago.
"We've had a lot of challenges this year, and I think the team wants to finish this [season] the right way, on a positive note," said NIU head coach
Eric Burns. "We talked about building momentum for next year this weekend by playing well and competing. Today was great. We didn't play well in doubles, but we got it done in singles where we had to and were able to pull out the win."
NIU fell behind 1-0 after doubles and fell behind 2-0 after
Anastasia Rakita, who returned to the court for the first time since April 1, lost at No. 3 singles. Sophomore
Diana Lukyanova, playing No. 1 singles, put the Huskies on the board with a 6-4, 6-4 win and freshman
Erika Dimitriev tied the match 2-2 with a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 2 singles.
Ball State (16-4, 7-2 MAC) forged ahead with a three-set win at No. 4 singles, leaving the Huskies No. 5 and 6 singles players –
Angelica Ross and Robinson, respectively, to decide the match. Ross quickly disposed of Ella Hazelbaker, 6-0, 6-1 and Robinson was equally as efficient in her win over Behrman to clinch the victory.
"It was big for both Erika and Diana to play well [at 1 and 2]," Burns said. "When you lose the doubles point on a four-court facility, we knew we needed two of the top four to win to get momentum back in our favor. We felt good that Angelica and Christy could win their matchups, and they were on fire today."
The Huskies close out the season on Sunday, April 24 at the Nelson Tennis Center at Chick Evans Field House when they take on Western Michigan in the season finale. The match begins at 11:30 a.m. and following the match, NIU will honor its four 2022 seniors and distribute postseason awards. Admission is free and the public is invited.
"We hope to put it together one more time, send our seniors out on a winning note and put a stamp on this season," Burns said.
NIU 4, Ball State 3
Apr 22, 2022 at DeKalb, Ill.
(Chick Evans Field House)
Singles Results
1.
Diana Lukyanova (NIU) def. Hannah Davies (BSU) 6-4, 6-4
2.
Erika Dimitriev (NIU) def. Amy Kaplan (BSU) 7-5, 6-4
3. Livia Lukacs (BSU) def.
Anastasia Rakita (NIU) 7-5, 6-1
4. Emily Desai (BSU) def.
Reagan Welch (NIU) 6-4, 1-6, 7-5
5.
Angelica Ross (NIU) def. Ella Hazelbaker (BSU) 6-0, 6-1
6.
Christy Robinson (NIU) def. Isabelle Behrman (BSU) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles Results
1. Hannah Davies/Amy Kaplan (BSU) def.
Anastasia Rakita/
Erika Dimitriev (NIU) 6-3
2. Emily Desai/Isabelle Behrman (BSU) def.
Christy Robinson/
Fernanda Naves (NIU) 6-3
3.
Iuliia Dmitrieva/
Reagan Welch (NIU) vs. Ella Hazelbaker/Livia Lukacs (BSU) 4-3, unfinished
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