Tennis Blanks Saginaw Valley State, 7-0

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University tennis team swept all nine matches played and handed visiting Saginaw Valley State University a 7-0 loss as the Eagles closed out their non-conference schedule on a winning note inside the Chippewa Club in Ypsilanti, March 14. The Eagles (7-6) won all three doubles matches before claiming each of the six singles matches in straight sets over the Cardinals (1-7).

"It was an inspiring performance today," Head Coach Ryan Kucera said. "The team was really motivated to finish the non-conference season on a high note. We had excellent presence and energy on the court and our tennis followed. Marta Komar and Viki Hazmukova played professional level doubles; it was a clinical performance. To follow that up and not drop a set in singles was impressive. We were decisive and confident across all six positions today and I am excited to carry this momentum into Sunday in our MAC opener at Northern Illinois."

The dual got underway in doubles with the Eagles winning all three matches. The team of Viki Hazmukova (Skvorec, Czechia/Skoly Brezova) and Marta Komar (Inowroclaw, Poland/Sopocka (Sopot) Tennis Academy/Wayne State) got things started as they won their No. 2 doubles match, 6-1. The point was secured at the No. 1 position with Sabina Brichackova (Cheb, Czechia/Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava) and Prerna Vichare (Mumbai, India/Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics), playing in their 67th career match together, captured a 6-2 win and a 1-0 lead for the Eagles. The win for Brichackova not only helped clinch the doubles point, it also gave her 56 for her career, tying for 19th on the program's all-time doubles win list. Doubles ended at No. 3 with Lara Diaz Zayas (Mar de Ajo, Argentina/SEADEA) and Daniella Shved (Holon, Israel/Ort Holon) combining for a 6-3 win, their fifth consecutive win together.

Eastern quickly saw its lead doubled to 2-0 as Diaz Zayas won her match at No. 6, 6-0, 6-0, before Kseniia Saenko (Voronezh, Russia/Gymnasium 2) followed with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 4 to make it 3-0. Shved followed next with a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 1 to clinch the team victory. With the teams playing out all matches, the next Eagle to secure a win was Hazmukova, who won, 6-2, 6-1, at No. 2 before Komar followed with her 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 3. Finally, Regina Mendez (Los Cabos, Mexico/Picacho McGregor) battled to the end and ensured the Eagles would not drop a set as she won, 6-2, 7-5, despite trailing, 5-3, in the second set.

Match Notes • Individual
» Sabina Brichackova and Prerna Vichare played their 67th career doubles match together with the duo standings 38-22 overall with six matches that ended unfinished/abandoned.
» Sabina Brichackova collected her 56th career doubles victory to move into a three-way tie for 19th on the program's all-time doubles wins ledger. Brichackova, who is now tied with Miriam Westerink (2008-12) and Avi Gogvadze (2014-18), is four wins away from tying for 18th with Naomi Mokelke (1989-92), who won 60 in her EMU career.
» The win at No. 3 doubles for Lara Diaz Zayas and Daniella Shved moved the duo to 5-1 on the year as they collected their fourth consecutive win together. Viki Hazmukova and Marta Komar captured their fourth dual win together to move to 4-2 as a team.
» The win by Sabina Brichackova and Prerna Vichare clinched the doubles point for the Eagles, marking their second clinch this season and the fourth time Brichackova has been on a clinching doubles team. Additionally, Daniella Shved clinched the match for the team with her win at No. 1 singles, marking her second clinch this season.
» Regina Mendez battled to the end to make sure the Eagles swept every set played as she not only won her second set, 7-5, she did so after trailing, 5-3.

Match Notes • Team
» Eastern has won back-to-back matches by 7-0 scores, marking the first time since the 2021-22 season it has done so. That season, the Eagles went on the road and defeated Holy Cross (Ind.), 7-0, Feb. 13, 2022, before sweeping a road match at Northwood, 7-0, Feb. 18, 2022.
» The back-to-back sweeps at home are the first for the Eagles since the 2012-13 campaign. That season, EMU defeated visiting Dayton, 7-0, before downing Oakland, 7-0, in a doubleheader, Feb. 23, 2013.
» Eastern is now 172-97 all-time when a match ends in a sweep by either opponent and 69-15 when the sweep occurs in a home match. The Eagles are 5-1 this season in such matches, including 5-0 at home with the lone loss coming in a 4-0 decision at Michigan State, Feb. 2.

Up Next
With its non-conference schedule complete, Eastern Michigan will turn its attention to the Mid-American Conference season as Eagles hit the road, Sunday, March 16, for its MAC opener at Northern Illinois University at 2 p.m. ET in DeKalb, Ill.

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Eastern Michigan def. Saginaw Valley State, 7-0
Singles
#1: Daniella Shved (EM) def. Adriana Barrio, 6-2, 6-1
#2: Viki Hazmukova (EM) def. Lydia Liong, 6-2, 6-1
#3: Marta Komar (EM) def. Amelia Dickson, 6-2, 7-5
#4: Kseniia Saenko (EM) def. Nicoletta Diamantopoulos, 6-2, 6-2
#5: Regina Mendez (EM) def. Elizabeth Stuart, 6-2, 7-5
#6: Lara Diaz Zayas (EM) def. Anastasia Diamantopoulos, 6-0, 6-0
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 1, 2, 3, 5

Doubles
#1: Sabina Brichackova / Prerna Vichare (EM) def. A. Barrio / A. Dickson, 6-2
#2: V. Hazmukova / M. Komar (EM) def. L. Liong / E. Stuart, 6-1
#3: L. Diaz Zayas / D. Shved (EM) def. A. Diamantopoulos / N. Diamantopoulos 6-3
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3

Next Event

Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Sabina Brichackova

Lara Diaz Zayas

Viki Hazmukova

Marta Komar

Regina Mendez Carreño

Kseniia Saenko

Daniella Shved

Prerna Vichare