Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, March 22
Ypsilanti, Mich.
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
6
vs
1
Ball State
Tennis Claims 6-1 Win over Ball State in Home MAC Opener
3/22/2024 5:04:00 PM | Tennis
Eastern won the doubles point before claiming wins in the first five singles matches against the Cardinals
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – As a small amount of snow piled up outside, the Eastern Michigan University tennis team piled up points inside the Chippewa Club as the Eagles handed visiting Ball State University a 6-1 defeat in EMU's home Mid-American Conference opener Friday, March 22. The Eagles (7-7, 1-1 MAC) secured the doubles for the second time in as many conference matches before reeling off five consecutive wins in singles play to hand the Cardinals (4-10, 1-1 MAC), the defending MAC champions, their first conference loss since a 5-2 decision at the University of Toledo, March 26, 2023.
Quoting Kucera
"(It was) such a great team win today," Head Coach Ryan Kucera said. "Our theme right now is to 'keep going' and I think that mantra kept us composed and confident throughout the match. The crowd was great! It was awesome to have that energy here at home. Our doubles continue to improve, which is an awesome sign because they're working hard on it. It's tough to win in this excellent league, and I'm so proud of the way we competed and stayed focused on playing our tennis!"
How It Happened
Before the first ball was served, the Eagles already held a 1-0 lead as Ball State was unable to field six players in the match, posting a forfeit at the No. 6 singles position. When action got underway, the Eagles needed just one win in the two played doubles matches as the Cardinals had to forfeit the No. 3 doubles match with Sabina Brichackova (Cheb, Czech Republic/Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava) and Ksyusha Saenko (Voronezh, Russia/Gymnasium 2) earning the win. EMU clinched the doubles point with a win at No. 2 where Linda Eloundou (Yaounde, Cameroon/Augustine Meyou/New Mexico Military Institute) and Andrea Quiroz (Lima, Peru/La Molina 1278/Alcorn State) combined for a 6-1 win. Daniella Shved (Holon, Israel/Ort Holon) and Prerna Vichare (Mumbai, India/Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics) were leading in their match, 4-1, before the doubles point was clinched and the teams moved on to singles play.
Now up 2-0, the Eagles added to their lead with Saenko winning at No. 4 as she came back from being down, 5-4, to win the first set, 7-5, and claim the second, 6-2, for the win. Eastern then clinched the team victory as Quiroz scored a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 3. From there, Vichare battled to a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 2 with Eloundou claiming a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win at No. 5. Shved fought to the end but dropped a close three-set match at No. 1 as she fell to Annika Planinsek, 3-6, 6-4, 5-7.
Notes
›› Eastern improved to 7-7 overall and 1-1 in MAC play while Ball State fell to 4-10 overall and 1-1 in the MAC.
›› The 6-1 win over Ball State marked the sixth victory by that score at home this year with only the second dual in a doubleheader with Findlay, Jan. 28, finishing differently as the Eagles won that match, 5-0, as the teams played to clinch.
›› The Eagles moved to 33-14 in their all-time series with the Cardinals and snapped a three-match losing streak.
›› Eastern improved to 26-15 in its MAC home opener and snapped a three-match skid in the process. The last time the Eagles won their home conference opener came March 23, 2018, in a 4-3 win over visiting Akron.
›› The Eagles also moved to 4-2 when their first home conference match of the year comes against Ball State. The Cardinals took the last instance, 6-1, March 12, 2021.
›› The six points won against the Cardinals are the most for the Eagles since a 6-1 win at Ball State March 25, 2011.
›› Eastern won the doubles point for the second MAC match in a row after taking the point at Miami, March 17. The Eagles have secured the doubles point seven times this year, including six times at home and once on the road.
›› Sabina Brichackova and Prerna Vichare each secured two wins on the day to climb closer to the program's all-time top 20 in wins. Brichackova secured the 80th and 81st wins of her career at EMU after claiming her 42nd win at singles and 39th win at doubles. For Vichare, she secured the 63rd and 64th wins of her career with the 24th singles and 40th doubles win while at Eastern.
›› Both Linda Eloundou and Ksyusha Saenko secured wins in singles play to remain tied for the team lead in singles victories in 2024. Both players now have 18 wins to their credit.
Up Next
The Eagles and Cardinals will run it back Sunday, March 24, in Muncie, Ind., with the first serve slated for noon.
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.
Eastern Michigan 6, Ball State 1
March 22 • Chippewa Club • Ypsilanti, Mich.
SINGLES
#1: Annika Planinsek (B) def. Daniella Shved, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
#2: Prerna Vichare (E) def. Elena Malykh, 6-4, 6-3
#3: Andrea Quiroz (E) def. Isabel Tanjuatco, 6-3, 6-4
#4: Ksyusha Saenko (E) def. Ella Hazelbaker, 7-5, 6-2
#5: Linda Eloundou (E) def. Jacqueline Pearsall, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
#6: Sabina Brichackova (E) won by forfeit
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 3, 2, 5, 1
DOUBLES
#1: Daniella Shved / Prerna Vichare (E) led Ella Hazelbaker / Annika Planinsek, 4-1 unfinished
#2: Linda Eloundou / Andrea Quiroz (E) def. Elena Malykh / Isabel Tanjuatco, 6-1
#3: Sabina Brichackova / Ksyusha Saenko (E) won by forfeit
Order of Finish: 3, 2
Quoting Kucera
"(It was) such a great team win today," Head Coach Ryan Kucera said. "Our theme right now is to 'keep going' and I think that mantra kept us composed and confident throughout the match. The crowd was great! It was awesome to have that energy here at home. Our doubles continue to improve, which is an awesome sign because they're working hard on it. It's tough to win in this excellent league, and I'm so proud of the way we competed and stayed focused on playing our tennis!"
How It Happened
Before the first ball was served, the Eagles already held a 1-0 lead as Ball State was unable to field six players in the match, posting a forfeit at the No. 6 singles position. When action got underway, the Eagles needed just one win in the two played doubles matches as the Cardinals had to forfeit the No. 3 doubles match with Sabina Brichackova (Cheb, Czech Republic/Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava) and Ksyusha Saenko (Voronezh, Russia/Gymnasium 2) earning the win. EMU clinched the doubles point with a win at No. 2 where Linda Eloundou (Yaounde, Cameroon/Augustine Meyou/New Mexico Military Institute) and Andrea Quiroz (Lima, Peru/La Molina 1278/Alcorn State) combined for a 6-1 win. Daniella Shved (Holon, Israel/Ort Holon) and Prerna Vichare (Mumbai, India/Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics) were leading in their match, 4-1, before the doubles point was clinched and the teams moved on to singles play.
Now up 2-0, the Eagles added to their lead with Saenko winning at No. 4 as she came back from being down, 5-4, to win the first set, 7-5, and claim the second, 6-2, for the win. Eastern then clinched the team victory as Quiroz scored a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 3. From there, Vichare battled to a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 2 with Eloundou claiming a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win at No. 5. Shved fought to the end but dropped a close three-set match at No. 1 as she fell to Annika Planinsek, 3-6, 6-4, 5-7.
Notes
›› Eastern improved to 7-7 overall and 1-1 in MAC play while Ball State fell to 4-10 overall and 1-1 in the MAC.
›› The 6-1 win over Ball State marked the sixth victory by that score at home this year with only the second dual in a doubleheader with Findlay, Jan. 28, finishing differently as the Eagles won that match, 5-0, as the teams played to clinch.
›› The Eagles moved to 33-14 in their all-time series with the Cardinals and snapped a three-match losing streak.
›› Eastern improved to 26-15 in its MAC home opener and snapped a three-match skid in the process. The last time the Eagles won their home conference opener came March 23, 2018, in a 4-3 win over visiting Akron.
›› The Eagles also moved to 4-2 when their first home conference match of the year comes against Ball State. The Cardinals took the last instance, 6-1, March 12, 2021.
›› The six points won against the Cardinals are the most for the Eagles since a 6-1 win at Ball State March 25, 2011.
›› Eastern won the doubles point for the second MAC match in a row after taking the point at Miami, March 17. The Eagles have secured the doubles point seven times this year, including six times at home and once on the road.
›› Sabina Brichackova and Prerna Vichare each secured two wins on the day to climb closer to the program's all-time top 20 in wins. Brichackova secured the 80th and 81st wins of her career at EMU after claiming her 42nd win at singles and 39th win at doubles. For Vichare, she secured the 63rd and 64th wins of her career with the 24th singles and 40th doubles win while at Eastern.
›› Both Linda Eloundou and Ksyusha Saenko secured wins in singles play to remain tied for the team lead in singles victories in 2024. Both players now have 18 wins to their credit.
Up Next
The Eagles and Cardinals will run it back Sunday, March 24, in Muncie, Ind., with the first serve slated for noon.
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.
Eastern Michigan 6, Ball State 1
March 22 • Chippewa Club • Ypsilanti, Mich.
SINGLES
#1: Annika Planinsek (B) def. Daniella Shved, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
#2: Prerna Vichare (E) def. Elena Malykh, 6-4, 6-3
#3: Andrea Quiroz (E) def. Isabel Tanjuatco, 6-3, 6-4
#4: Ksyusha Saenko (E) def. Ella Hazelbaker, 7-5, 6-2
#5: Linda Eloundou (E) def. Jacqueline Pearsall, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
#6: Sabina Brichackova (E) won by forfeit
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 3, 2, 5, 1
DOUBLES
#1: Daniella Shved / Prerna Vichare (E) led Ella Hazelbaker / Annika Planinsek, 4-1 unfinished
#2: Linda Eloundou / Andrea Quiroz (E) def. Elena Malykh / Isabel Tanjuatco, 6-1
#3: Sabina Brichackova / Ksyusha Saenko (E) won by forfeit
Order of Finish: 3, 2
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2
#1 Singles Match
123
Annika Planinsek / 0 [BALLST]
647
365
#2 Singles Match
12
Elena Malykh / 0 [BALLST]
43
66
#3 Singles Match
12
Isabel Tanjuatco / 0 [BALLST]
34
66
#4 Singles Match
12
Ella Hazelbaker / 0 [BALLST]
52
76
#5 Singles Match
123
Jacqueline Pearsall / 0 [BALLST]
263
646
#6 Singles Match
1
No player / 0 [BALLST]
0
WF
Order of Finish:
6,4,3,2,5,1
Players Mentioned
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