Tennis Claws Back for 4-3 Home Win Over Ball State

Highlights

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University tennis team clawed its way back from several deficits to claim a 4-3 Mid-American Conference victory over visiting Ball State University Sunday, March 23, at the Chippewa Club in Ypsilanti. The Eagles (8-8, 1-2 MAC) picked up their first league win of the season with EMU coming back from a 3-2 deficit to defeat the Cardinals (8-5, 2-1 MAC).

"What a gritty performance by the team today; pure heart and fight," Head Coach Ryan Kucera said. "The doubles point wasn't great, but the team stayed together and fired back immediately. Dani (Shved) and Marta (Komar) were clinical to get us two points back quickly. Then, from there, it was just about toughness and resilience. Once Viki (Hazmukova) found her patterns, she really took off. And what a gritty performance by Prerna (Vichare)! She was so composed and played with so much resiliency. Overall, I am just proud of us and the effort today!"

The Cardinals took an early 1-0 lead as they swept two doubles matches to claim the first point. In singles play, the Eagles quickly tied things up at 1-1 as Daniella Shved (Holon, Israel/Ort Holon) won in straight sets at No. 2, 6-3, 6-1. The two teams traded points in the next two matches as Ball State won at No. 6 before Marta Komar (Inowroclaw, Poland/Sopocka (Sopot) Tennis Academy/Wayne State) captured a 6-4, 6-1 victory at No. 5 to knot things at 2-2.

BSU pushed EMU to the brink of defeat with its three-set win at No. 4, but the Eagles found a way to win as their final two victories came in three sets after dropping the first. Viki Hazmukova (Skvorec, Czechia/Skoly Brezova) kept the hosts alive as she rebounded at No. 1 for a 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1 win before Prerna Vichare (Mumbai, India/Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics) closed out the win as she took a 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 3 for her first clinching point of the season.

Match Notes
» Eastern Michigan improved to 34-15 all-time against Ball State with the win. The Eagles also improved to 16-7 all-time when playing host to the Cardinals in Ypsilanti.
» The Eagles played their 208th match to end in a one-point score and their second consecutive. Eastern improved to 110-98 all-time in one-point matches and 43-45 when those matches came against MAC foes. Additionally, the Eagles improved to 34-35 in one-point contests when the match was played at home and 20-21 when it was a home date with a MAC foe.

Up Next
The Eagles will play host to a pair of Mid-American Conference matches next weekend as both Western Michigan University and Miami University come to town. The Eagles and Broncos will meet at the Chippewa Club Friday, March 28, for a 1 p.m. tilt before the RedHawks come to town Sunday, March 30, for a 1 p.m. start. Admission for both matches is free for all to attend.

Follow Us
Stay up to date with EMU tennis by following the team on its social media channels. The team can be found on Instagram (@emu_tennis), X (@EMUEaglesTennis), and Facebook (EMUTennis).

Eastern Michigan def. Ball State, 4-3
Singles
#1: Viki Hazmukova (EM) def. Elena Malykh, 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1
#2: Daniella Shved (EM) def. Jemima Williams-Phillips, 6-1, 6-2
#3: Prerna Vichare (EM) def. Sarah Shahbaz, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4
#4: Chloe Brown (BS) def. Sabina Brichackova, 1-6, 6-0, 6-4
#5: Marta Komar (EM) def. Isabel Tanjuatco, 6-4, 6-1
#6: Alana Bristow (BS) def. Kseniia Saenko, 6-3, 6-1
Order of Finish: 2, 6, 5, 4, 1, 3

Doubles
#1: S. Brichackova / P. Vichare (EM) vs. A. Bristow / C. Brown (BS), 5-6 (unfinished)
#2: S. Shahbaz / I. Tanjuatco (BS) def. V. Hazmukova / M. Komar, 6-1
#3: Ella Hazelbaker / E. Malykh (BS) def. Lara Diaz Zayas / D. Shved, 6-4
Order of Finish: 2, 3

Next Event

Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Sabina Brichackova

Lara Diaz Zayas

Viki Hazmukova

Marta Komar

Kseniia Saenko

Daniella Shved

Prerna Vichare