Rally Falls Short for Tennis Against Visiting Miami

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University tennis team, playing in its fourth consecutive Mid-American Conference match to be decided by one point, fall to visiting Miami University, 4-3, Sunday, March 30, inside the Chippewa Club in Ypsilanti. The Eagles (9-9, 2-3 MAC) came back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the match at 3-3, but the RedHawks (6-8, 5-0 MAC) won the final singles point to claim the team win.

The Eagles found themselves in a 2-0 hole after dropping the doubles point and falling in straight sets at No. 1 singles. Eastern won the next two singles bouts to tie the score at 2-2 with Kseniia Saenko (Voronezh, Russia/Gymnasium 2) grabbing the first point and Lara Diaz Zayas (Mar de Ajo, Argentina/SEADEA) following with her win. Saenko, playing at No. 4, scored a 6-0, 6-4 win before Diaz Zayas won, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 6.

Miami regained the lead at 3-2 win a three-set win at No. 5 before the Eagles tied the match at 3-3 with Daniella Shved (Holon, Israel/Ort Holon) winning, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, at No. 2. In the deciding match at No. 3, Sabina Brichackova (Cheb, Czechia/Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava) fought to the very end before falling, 4-6, 6-0, 7-6(3).

Match Notes
» Eastern played its fourth consecutive match to end in a 4-3 score, all against MAC foes, with the Eagles going 2-2. The Eagles are now 3-4 on the year in one-point matches overall.
» When a match is decided by one-point, the Eagles are 111-99 all-time and 44-46 when the match is played against a MAC foe. Additionally, EMU is now 35-36 in one-point matches at home and 21-22 in home MAC matches.
» The loss to Miami snapped a six-match home winning streak for the Eagles. Eastern is now 18-2 in the past two seasons under Ryan Kucera.

Up Next
Eastern will play a pair of MAC matches on the road next week with trips to Toledo, Ohio, and Buffalo, N.Y., on the slate. First, the Eagles and Rockets of the University of Toledo will square off at 1 p.m., Friday, April 4, before the Eagles and Bulls meet at the University at Buffalo, Sunday, April 6, also at 1 p.m.

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Miami def. Eastern Michigan, 4-3
Singles
#1: Catherine Denysiewicz-Slowek (M) def. Viki Hazmukova, 6-1, 6-0
#2: Daniella Shved (EM) def. Sara Zalukar, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
#3: Nishitha Saravanan (M) def. Sabina Brichackova, 4-6, 6-0, 7-6(3)
#4: Kseniia Saenko (EM) def. Emilia Valentinsson, 6-0, 6-4
#5: Lauren Joyce (M) def. Marta Komar, 3-6, 6-0, 6-1
#6: Lara Diaz Zayas (EM) def. Sarah Dev, 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 6, 5, 2, 3

Doubles
#1: E. Valentinsson / S. Zalukar (M) def. S. Brichackova / Prerna Vichare, 6-4
#2: C. Denysiewicz-Slowek / Malu Oliveira (M) def. V. Hazmukova / K. Saenko, 6-2
#3: M. Komar / D. Shved (EM) vs. L. Joyce / N. Saravanan (M), 5-5 unf.
Order of Finish: 2, 1

Next Event

Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Sabina Brichackova

Lara Diaz Zayas

Viki Hazmukova

Marta Komar

Kseniia Saenko

Daniella Shved

Prerna Vichare