Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, February 16
Indianapolis, Ind.
3 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
1
at
4
Butler
Tennis Falls at Butler, 4-1
2/16/2024 9:08:00 PM | Tennis
Quiroz grabs straight-sets win at No. 3 to pace the Eagles on the road
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University tennis team fell on the road at Butler University, Friday, Feb. 16, with the host Bulldogs taking a 4-1 victory inside the Butler Bubble in Indianapolis, Ind. The Eagles (5-3) scored their lone point with a straight-set win at No. 3 singles by Andrea Quiroz (Lima, Peru/La Molina 1278/Alcorn State) before the Bulldogs (7-3) claimed the team win.
Quoting Kucera
"It was a tough one today," Head Coach Ryan Kucera said after the match. "We battled hard and brought great energy. Prerna (Vichare) and Dani (Shved) were locked in; that was the best match they have had this spring. At the other spots, we just played a little outside ourselves at times and our movement was not as decisive as we needed. We showed a lot of heart in singles to keep fighting until the end. There was great tennis being played everywhere. We are continuing to improve, which is great, but so is the level of competition. Butler maintained their level consistently, and we couldn't quite match that. I am proud of Sabina and Linda for coming on after a long break and competing so well. We have a great chance to take the lessons from today and bounce back Sunday."
How It Happened
All three doubles matches ended in 6-4 scores with the Eagles claiming the win at No. 1 while the Bulldogs were victorious at No. 2 and No. 3 to secure the doubles point. Daniella Shved (Holon, Israel/Ort Holon) and Prerna Vichare (Mumbai, India/Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics) were victorious for Eastern as the duo brushed off their loss at Michigan State, Feb. 11, to get back in the win column.
In singles action, Quiroz got the Eagles on the board as she posted a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 3. The hosts then won three in a row to secure the team win as they captured victories at No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4. Linda Eloundou (Yaounde, Cameroon/Augustine Meyou/New Mexico Military Institute) was leading her match at No. 5 with a 7-6(5), 1-0 score, while Sabina Brichackova (Cheb, Czech Republic/Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava) took the first set, 6-1, at No. 6 singles before both matches went unfinished as Butler had secured the team win.
Notes
›› Eastern fell to 5-3 overall while Butler improved to 7-3.
›› The Eagles hold a 5-2 all-time advantage in the series with the Bulldogs but have dropped two in a row.
›› Head Coach Ryan Kucera is 5-3 in his first year with the program, which is tied for the third-best start to a coaching career in program history with Lucy Parker (1976-77, EMU's inaugural season) and Tim Gray (2003), both of whom opened 7-1.
›› The doubles point, which was won by Butler, has mirrored the Eagles' record this year as all three losses have come on the road with the host team winning the doubles point (5-0 at home, 0-3 on the road).
›› Andrea Quiroz continues to improve as her straight-set win at No. 3 moved her to 12-7 on the year, which in a nine-win improvement over the 3-11 record she posted in 2023.
Up Next
The Eagles' two-match road swing through the Hoosier State ends Sunday, Feb. 18, when Eastern ventures to Valparaiso, Ind., to face the Beacons of Valparaiso University. First serve for the dual is slated for 10 a.m. inside The Courts of Northwest Indiana.
Follow Along
For all things EMU Tennis, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMUEaglesTennis on X (formerly Twitter) and EMU_Tennis on Instagram.
Butler 4, Eastern Michigan 1
Feb. 16 • Butler Bubble • Indianapolis, Ind.
SINGLES
#1: Natalie Boesing (B) def. Daniella Shved, 6-4, 6-3
#2: Delaney Schurhamer (B) def. Prerna Vichare, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
#3: Andrea Quiroz (EM) def. Chase Metcalf, 6-1, 6-2
#4: Norah Balthazor (B) def. Ksyusha Saenko, 6-4, 6-3
#5: Linda Eloundou (EM) led. Elle Martin, 7-6(5), 1-0, unfinished
#6: Sabina Brichackova (EM) led Emma Beavin, 6-1, unfinished
Order of finish: 3, 4, 1, 2
DOUBLES
#1: Daniella Shved / Prerna Vichare (EM) def. Natalie Boesing / Chase Metcalf, 6-4
#2: Jordan Schildcrout / Delaney Schurhamer (B) def. Sabina Brichackova / Ksyusha Saenko, 6-4
#3: Norah Balthazor / Lauren Cook (B) def. Linda Eloundou / Andrea Quiroz, 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
EMU 5-3, BU 7-3
Quoting Kucera
"It was a tough one today," Head Coach Ryan Kucera said after the match. "We battled hard and brought great energy. Prerna (Vichare) and Dani (Shved) were locked in; that was the best match they have had this spring. At the other spots, we just played a little outside ourselves at times and our movement was not as decisive as we needed. We showed a lot of heart in singles to keep fighting until the end. There was great tennis being played everywhere. We are continuing to improve, which is great, but so is the level of competition. Butler maintained their level consistently, and we couldn't quite match that. I am proud of Sabina and Linda for coming on after a long break and competing so well. We have a great chance to take the lessons from today and bounce back Sunday."
How It Happened
All three doubles matches ended in 6-4 scores with the Eagles claiming the win at No. 1 while the Bulldogs were victorious at No. 2 and No. 3 to secure the doubles point. Daniella Shved (Holon, Israel/Ort Holon) and Prerna Vichare (Mumbai, India/Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics) were victorious for Eastern as the duo brushed off their loss at Michigan State, Feb. 11, to get back in the win column.
In singles action, Quiroz got the Eagles on the board as she posted a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 3. The hosts then won three in a row to secure the team win as they captured victories at No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4. Linda Eloundou (Yaounde, Cameroon/Augustine Meyou/New Mexico Military Institute) was leading her match at No. 5 with a 7-6(5), 1-0 score, while Sabina Brichackova (Cheb, Czech Republic/Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava) took the first set, 6-1, at No. 6 singles before both matches went unfinished as Butler had secured the team win.
Notes
›› Eastern fell to 5-3 overall while Butler improved to 7-3.
›› The Eagles hold a 5-2 all-time advantage in the series with the Bulldogs but have dropped two in a row.
›› Head Coach Ryan Kucera is 5-3 in his first year with the program, which is tied for the third-best start to a coaching career in program history with Lucy Parker (1976-77, EMU's inaugural season) and Tim Gray (2003), both of whom opened 7-1.
›› The doubles point, which was won by Butler, has mirrored the Eagles' record this year as all three losses have come on the road with the host team winning the doubles point (5-0 at home, 0-3 on the road).
›› Andrea Quiroz continues to improve as her straight-set win at No. 3 moved her to 12-7 on the year, which in a nine-win improvement over the 3-11 record she posted in 2023.
Up Next
The Eagles' two-match road swing through the Hoosier State ends Sunday, Feb. 18, when Eastern ventures to Valparaiso, Ind., to face the Beacons of Valparaiso University. First serve for the dual is slated for 10 a.m. inside The Courts of Northwest Indiana.
Follow Along
For all things EMU Tennis, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMUEaglesTennis on X (formerly Twitter) and EMU_Tennis on Instagram.
Butler 4, Eastern Michigan 1
Feb. 16 • Butler Bubble • Indianapolis, Ind.
SINGLES
#1: Natalie Boesing (B) def. Daniella Shved, 6-4, 6-3
#2: Delaney Schurhamer (B) def. Prerna Vichare, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
#3: Andrea Quiroz (EM) def. Chase Metcalf, 6-1, 6-2
#4: Norah Balthazor (B) def. Ksyusha Saenko, 6-4, 6-3
#5: Linda Eloundou (EM) led. Elle Martin, 7-6(5), 1-0, unfinished
#6: Sabina Brichackova (EM) led Emma Beavin, 6-1, unfinished
Order of finish: 3, 4, 1, 2
DOUBLES
#1: Daniella Shved / Prerna Vichare (EM) def. Natalie Boesing / Chase Metcalf, 6-4
#2: Jordan Schildcrout / Delaney Schurhamer (B) def. Sabina Brichackova / Ksyusha Saenko, 6-4
#3: Norah Balthazor / Lauren Cook (B) def. Linda Eloundou / Andrea Quiroz, 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
EMU 5-3, BU 7-3
Players Mentioned
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