BUFFALO – The Northern Illinois University women's tennis team closed out the 2023-24 season on a three-match winning streak after defeating the Bulls 5-2 Sunday in Buffalo.
 
NIU finished the season 16-10 overall and 5-5 in the Mid-American Conference.  The Huskies' fifth-place finish left them just one spot short of qualifying for the four-team MAC Tournament.
 
"It was a great win today," said NIU head coach Eric Burns. "Buffalo is really tough to beat at home. Our team brought the energy today.  We've won some very good doubles points this year and this was probably the best I've seen us play."
 
The Huskies' No. 1 and 2 doubles teams of Diana Lukyanova and Isabella Righi and Erika Dimitriev and Nataly Ninova, respectively, dispatched their opponents from Buffalo in short order. Lukyanova and Righi scored a 6-0 victory, while Dimitriev and Ninova finished undefeated versus MAC opponents in 2024 with a 6-3 win.
 
"The experience and improvement in our doubles this year has been great," Burns said. "You could see everyone buying in, being willing to take chances and not be too conservative really paid off in close matches. Doubles really gave us some momentum early and today was picture perfect. If we can continue to improve that next year, this program can get even better."
 
In singles on Sunday, a retirement on the third line gave NIU a quick 2-0 lead and the Huskies led 3-1 after Jenna Horne's 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 6 singles. The three remaining singles matches all went to three sets. NIU senior Diana Lukyanova clinched the victory for the Huskies with a 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 at No. 1 to close out her Huskie career. Reagan Welch added a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 win at No. 5 singles for NIU's final point.
 
Burns said the Huskies improved throughout the season, as evidenced by the three-match winning streak to close out the year.
 
"We really peaked at the end," Burns said. "We were very worthy of being in the tournament.  It's a shame we didn't make it, but we're satisfied with the ending and the way we played the whole conference schedule. Even the matches we lost we were in all of them, we feel very positive about the future of NIU women's tennis."
 
NIU returns five of the six players in its singles line-up in 2024-25 with three student-athletes already signed for next year.
 
NIU Huskies 5, Buffalo 2
April 21, 2024 at Buffalo, N.Y.
(Miller Tennis Center)
 
Singles
1. Diana Lukyanova (NIU-W) def. Jagmeet Kaur (BUF) 6-1, 1-6, 6-1
2. Azra Deniz Comlek (BUF) def. Erika Dimitriev (NIU-W) 6-0, 6-2
3. Isabella Righi (NIU-W) def. Laura Koralnik (BUF) 2-0, retired
4. Ambre Amat (BUF) def. Nataly Ninova (NIU-W) 1-6, 7-5, 6-4
5. Reagan Welch (NIU-W) def. Esmee Andresen (BUF) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
6. Jenna Horne (NIU-W) def. Mariana Carvajal Torres (BUF) 6-4, 6-1
 
Doubles
1. Diana Lukyanova/Isabella Righi (NIU-W) def. Ambre Amat/Esmee Andresen (BUF) 6-0
2. Erika Dimitriev/Nataly Ninova (NIU-W) def. Azra Deniz Comlek/Jagmeet Kaur (BUF) 6-3
3. Reagan Welch/Anastasia Rakita (NIU-W) vs. Mariana Carvajal Torres/Lolina Schietekat Sedas (BUF) 5-3 DNF
 
-- NIU --
 
Twitter: @NIUAthletics
Facebook: NIU Huskies
Instagram: niuhuskies
YouTube: NIU Athletics