MINNEAPOLIS – The Northern Illinois University women's tennis team opened its fall tournament schedule over the weekend at the Gopher Invitational, hosted by the University of Minnesota at the Baseline Tennis Center.
 
Four players posted perfect records in singles, including University of Houston transfer Maria Dzemeshkevich, whose 3-0 mark included a win over Minnesota's Nora Knezevic, 6-1, 6-4. Junior Isabella Righi and freshmen Irmak Budak were also 3-0 in singles on the weekend while freshman Lucia Yecora won both of her singles matches.
 
Overall, the Huskies went 14-7 in singles and 11-9 in doubles during the three-day event. The duo of Righi and Yecora won four of their five doubles matches, while Nataly Ninova and Dzemeshkevich were 3-2 for the tournament with a win over the Gophers' Anlin Xie and Knezevic, 6-4.
 
Freshmen Budak, Yecora and Theodora Kousiou, along with Dzemeshkevich, made their NIU debuts at the tournament.
 
Huskie senior Erika Dimitriev, meanwhile, was in action at the ITA Women's All-American Championships in Cary, North Carolina.  Dimitriev faced players from Colorado and Arkansas in the Pre-Qualifying Draw.
 
See all of the Huskies' weekend scores below and in the attached PDF.
 
NIU returns to action October 4-6 at the Indiana University Hoosier Classic in Bloomington, Indiana.
 
Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024
 
SINGLES
Irmak Budak (NIU) def. Tentu, S (St. Thomas) 6-2, 6-4
Andie Weise (Marquette-W) def. Theodora Kousiou (NIU) 2-6, 6-1, 10-6
Maria Dzemeshkevich (NIU) def. Biria, Sarena (University of Chicago) 6-1, 6-1
Isabella Righi (NIU) def. Nicole Lee (Drake) 6-3, 6-2
Deniz Turan (Minnesota) def. Reagan Welch (NIU) 6-3, 6-1
 
DOUBLES
Maria Dzemeshkevich/Nataly Ninova (NIU) def. Khayli Buckels/Katelynn Kock (Omaha) 6-0
Isabella Righi/Lucia Yecora (NIU) def. Singh, Riya/Liu, Ariana (University of Chicago) 6-2
Tentu, S/Lily Olson (St. Thomas) def. Sydney Paradise/Irmak Budak (NIU) 6-0
Ekstrand, Erica/Chong, Isabelle (UChicago) def. Reagan Welch/Theodora Kousiou (NIU) 6-4
 
 
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024
SINGLES
Maria Dzemeshkevich (NIU) def. Nora Knezevic (Minnesota) 6-1, 6-4
Marthe Degeorges (St. Thomas) def. Nataly Ninova (NIU) 6-1, 6-2
Reagan Welch (NIU) def. Nikola Nikolajeva (Milwaukee) 6-1, 6-3
Isabella Righi (NIU) def. Savaerd (UND) 6-4, 6-4
Irmak Budak (NIU) def. Keegan VanPelt (Omaha) 6-3, 6-2
Nadiia Konieva (Milwaukee) def. Theodora Kousiou (NIU) 6-4, 6-3 
Lucia Yecora (NIU) def. Aiyana Abbott (Marquette-W) 7-6 (4-2), 6-3
Sydney Paradise (NIU) def. Singh, Riya (University of Chicago) 6-4, 6-4
 
DOUBLES
1             Mikos, Oliwia/Mikos, Sylwia (University of Chicago) def. Nataly Ninova/Maria Dzemeshkevich (NIU) 6-4
1             Reagan Welch/Theodora Kousiou (NIU) def. Zou, Clara/Biria, Sarena (University of Chicago) 6-2
1             Isabella Righi/Lucia Yecora (NIU) def. Lily Olson/Anna Bjornestad (St. Thomas) 6-3
1             Irmak Budak/Sydney Paradise (NIU) def. Emme Johnson/Talavera (St. Thomas) 6-2
1             Reagan Welch/Theodora Kousiou (NIU) def. Zou, Clara/Biria, Sarena (University of Chicago) 6-2
1             Isabella Righi/Lucia Yecora (NIU) def. Anna Bjornestad/Lily Olson (St. Thomas) 6-3
1             Sydney Paradise/Irmak Budak (NIU) def. Emme Johnson/Talavera (St. Thomas) 6-2
2             Nataly Ninova/Maria Dzemeshkevich (NIU) def. Anlin Xie/Nora Knezevic (Minnesota) 6-4
2             Emma Davis/Aiyana Abbott (Marquette-W) def. Reagan Welch/Theodora Kousiou (NIU) 6-3
2             Isabella Righi/Lucia Yecora (NIU) def. Yuan, Miranda/Klein, Charlotte (University of Chicago) 6-2
2             Sydney Paradise/Irmak Budak (NIU) def. Abin/Giupponi (UND) 7-5
 
Friday, Sept. 20, 2024
 
SINGLES
Nataly Ninova (NIU) def. Jule Schulte (UND) 6-2, 6-2
Isabella Righi (NIU) def. Selena Bird (South Dakota) 6-3, 3-6, 11-9
Andrea Pineda (UND) def. Reagan Welch (NIU) 6-2, 6-3
Irmak Budak (NIU) def. Karli Vo (Creighton) 6-2, 6-2
Lily Olson (St. Thomas) def. Sydney Paradise (NIU) 6-1, 6-4
Arina Valitova (Minnesota) def. Theodora Kousiou (NIU) 6-3, 6-3
Maria Dzemeshkevich (NIU) def. Nore Heinitz (UND) 6-1, 6-2
Lucia Yecora (NIU) def. Nina Wiese (Omaha) 3-6, 6-1, 10-4
 
DOUBLES
1             Amanda de Oliveira/Sorcha Caves (South Dakota) def. Maria Dzemeshkevich/Nataly Ninova (NIU) 6-3
1             Jeselle Ante/Deniz Turan (Minnesota) def. Reagan Welch/Theodora Kousiou (NIU) 6-2
1             Aiva Schmitz/Yinong Ma (Minnesota) def. Isabella Righi/Lucia Yecora (NIU) 7-6 (8-6)
1             Pineda/Hallemans (UND) def. Sydney Paradise/Irmak Budak (NIU) 6-4
2             Maria Dzemeshkevich/Nataly Ninova (NIU) def. Darta Dalecka/Lorena Cardoso (Northern Iowa) 6-2
2             Reagan Welch/Theodora Kousiou (NIU) def. Caroline Lindahl/Ingrid Forsberg (St. Thomas) 6-4
2             Isabella Righi/Lucia Yecora (NIU) def. Sara Simonova/Emilia Durska (Milwaukee) 7-6 (7-4)
 
ITA All-American Pre-Qualifying
Aya El Sayed (Colorado) def. Erika Dimitriev (NIU) 6-2, 6-0
Olga Bienzobas (Arkansas) def. Erika Dimitriev (NIU) 6-1, 6-0
 
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