Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, April 18
Muncie, IN
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
4
at
3
Ball State
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Tennis Caps Season with 4-3 Road win at Ball State
4/18/2025 5:21:00 PM | Tennis
Vichare won her 100th match in her final competition for EMU
MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University tennis team battled its way to a 4-3 win at Ball State University Friday, April 18, to close its 2024-25 season on a winning note as the Eagles handed the Cardinals a Mid-American Conference loss on their Senior Day in Muncie, Ind. The Eagles (12-11, 5-5 MAC) finished the year tied for fourth in the MAC standings while the Cardinals (10-10, 4-6) finished sixth.
"I am beyond proud of this team today," Head Coach Ryan Kucera said. "What a great way to end the season. It was a battle from beginning to end. It was a great doubles point on all three courts as both teams were playing at a high-level. Ball State did a great job to use the momentum from their Senior Day to push themselves through. I'm so proud of this team leaning into their toughness and not backing down. Everybody dug in and fought with focus and composure. For our seniors, Prerna (Vichare) and Marta (Komar), to get us over the hump, I'm really glad they could finish that way. I'm really proud of Sabina (Brichackova), too, for staying out there and keeping that third point off the board. It's disappointing that a team this tough and talented doesn't get to go to the postseason, but I'm really proud of how we ended and the special things that we did this season. I'm thankful for this group and looking forward to building off our success in the off-season."
Eastern battled back from a pair of deficits on the day. Trailing 1-0 after the Cardinals won the doubles point, Daniella Shved (Holon, Israel/Ort Holon) scored a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles to knot things at 1-1. After BSU won at No. 5 for a 2-1 lead, the Eagles struck back again, this time with Viki Hazmukova (Skvorec, Czechia/Skoly Brezova) winning her third consecutive match at No. 2 (6-4, 6-4) to tie the team score at 2-2.
From there, the Eagles would win the next two bouts to take the team win. First, Prerna Vichare (Mumbai, India/Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics), playing in her final match fro the Eagles, won, 6-2, 7-6(4), at No. 3 to not only bring the Eagles into their first lead at 3-2, but also record the 100th combined victory in her career. That was followed by senior Marta Komar (Inowroclaw, Poland/Sopocka (Sopot) Tennis Academy/Wayne State) claiming a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 6 to clinch the team point. In the final match, Sabina Brichackova (Cheb, Czechia/Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava) fought to the end, but was unable to secure a win at No. 4, falling, 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-6).
Match Notes
» Eastern its season at 12-11 overall and 5-5 in MAC play while Ball State finished at 10-10 overall and 4-6 in league action.
» The win, coupled with Buffalo's 4-3 loss at Toledo, saw the Eagles finish tied for fourth place in the MAC with the Bulls. UB earned the No. 4 seed in the MAC Tournament based on its 5-2 win over EMU earlier this season. Miami won the title and will be the top seed while Northern Illinois will be the No. 2 seed and host Toledo the No. 3 seed.
» The Eagles finished the season with 12 wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since EMU won 16 matches in both 2003 and 2004. Additionally, the five league wins marked back-to-back seasons with at least five MAC victories since the 2004 and 2005 teams won seven each year.
» Since the league moved to an unbalanced schedule in 2014 in which the Eagles would play some teams twice and others just once, EMU had not swept two regular season matches from the same league team until this year. The Eagles defeated Ball State in Ypsilanti, 4-3, March 23, for the first half of the two-match sweep.
» The 4-3 score marked the ninth time this year the Eagles played to a one-point decision and the sixth time in league play. The Eagles finished the year with a 4-5 record in one-point decisions (3-3 MAC) and stands 112-100 all-time in one-point decisions, including a 45-47 mark in MAC matches. Additionally, EMU is now 62-45 all-time on the road and 24-23 against MAC foes when the score is decided by one point.
» With her win at No. 3 singles, Prerna Vichare secured the 100th combined win in her Eastern career. She finished her time in Ypsilanti with 40 singles wins and 60 doubles wins for the Eagles.
» Sabina Brichackova and Prerna Vichare saw their No. 1 doubles match go unfinished with the score tied at 5-5. The duo finished their careers with 44 wins together as Brichackova tallied 62 career wins, which tied for 16th all-time, while Vichare finished with 60, which tied for 20th all-time. Brichackova also will leave EMU with 57 singles wins (t-20th) and 119 combined wins (19th).
» Daniella Shved won her No. 1 singles match to grab her 14th win of the season and continue her trend of improvement. After finishing with 12 singles wins her freshman year, she tallied 13 last year before adding one more this season.
» Marta Komar earned a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 6 singles to clinch the win for the Eagles. It marked her third clinching point of the season and tied her with Daniella Shved for the most on the team this season.
» Viki Hazmukova won in straight sets to cap her freshman season with three consecutive wins at No. 2 singles. She captured 12 singles victories this year, tying her with Regina Mendez (Los Cabos, Mexico/Picacho McGregor) for second on the roster behind Daniella Shved's 14 wins.
Up Next
The 2024-25 season has come to an end.
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: Daniella Shved (EM) def. Elena Malykh, 6-2, 6-2
#2: Viki Hazmukova (EM) def. Jemima Williams-Phillips, 6-4, 6-4
#3: Prerna Vichare (EM) def. Chloe Brown, 6-2, 7-6(4)
#4: Isabelle Tanjuatco (BS) def. Sabina Brichackova, 6-4, 4-6, 1-0(6)
#5: Alana Bristow (BS) def. Kseniia Saenko, 6-3, 6-4
#6: Marta Komar (EM) def. Ella Hazelbaker, 7-5, 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 5, 2, 6, 3, 4
Doubles
#1: S. Brichackova / P. Vichare (EM) vs. A. Bristow / C. Brown (BS), 5-5, unf.
#2: I. Tanjuatco / J. Williams-Phillips (BS) def. V. Hazmukova / K. Saenko, 6-4
#3: E. Hazelbaker / E. Malykh (BS) def. M. Komar / D. Shved (EM), 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 2
"I am beyond proud of this team today," Head Coach Ryan Kucera said. "What a great way to end the season. It was a battle from beginning to end. It was a great doubles point on all three courts as both teams were playing at a high-level. Ball State did a great job to use the momentum from their Senior Day to push themselves through. I'm so proud of this team leaning into their toughness and not backing down. Everybody dug in and fought with focus and composure. For our seniors, Prerna (Vichare) and Marta (Komar), to get us over the hump, I'm really glad they could finish that way. I'm really proud of Sabina (Brichackova), too, for staying out there and keeping that third point off the board. It's disappointing that a team this tough and talented doesn't get to go to the postseason, but I'm really proud of how we ended and the special things that we did this season. I'm thankful for this group and looking forward to building off our success in the off-season."
Eastern battled back from a pair of deficits on the day. Trailing 1-0 after the Cardinals won the doubles point, Daniella Shved (Holon, Israel/Ort Holon) scored a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles to knot things at 1-1. After BSU won at No. 5 for a 2-1 lead, the Eagles struck back again, this time with Viki Hazmukova (Skvorec, Czechia/Skoly Brezova) winning her third consecutive match at No. 2 (6-4, 6-4) to tie the team score at 2-2.
From there, the Eagles would win the next two bouts to take the team win. First, Prerna Vichare (Mumbai, India/Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics), playing in her final match fro the Eagles, won, 6-2, 7-6(4), at No. 3 to not only bring the Eagles into their first lead at 3-2, but also record the 100th combined victory in her career. That was followed by senior Marta Komar (Inowroclaw, Poland/Sopocka (Sopot) Tennis Academy/Wayne State) claiming a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 6 to clinch the team point. In the final match, Sabina Brichackova (Cheb, Czechia/Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava) fought to the end, but was unable to secure a win at No. 4, falling, 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-6).
Match Notes
» Eastern its season at 12-11 overall and 5-5 in MAC play while Ball State finished at 10-10 overall and 4-6 in league action.
» The win, coupled with Buffalo's 4-3 loss at Toledo, saw the Eagles finish tied for fourth place in the MAC with the Bulls. UB earned the No. 4 seed in the MAC Tournament based on its 5-2 win over EMU earlier this season. Miami won the title and will be the top seed while Northern Illinois will be the No. 2 seed and host Toledo the No. 3 seed.
» The Eagles finished the season with 12 wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since EMU won 16 matches in both 2003 and 2004. Additionally, the five league wins marked back-to-back seasons with at least five MAC victories since the 2004 and 2005 teams won seven each year.
» Since the league moved to an unbalanced schedule in 2014 in which the Eagles would play some teams twice and others just once, EMU had not swept two regular season matches from the same league team until this year. The Eagles defeated Ball State in Ypsilanti, 4-3, March 23, for the first half of the two-match sweep.
» The 4-3 score marked the ninth time this year the Eagles played to a one-point decision and the sixth time in league play. The Eagles finished the year with a 4-5 record in one-point decisions (3-3 MAC) and stands 112-100 all-time in one-point decisions, including a 45-47 mark in MAC matches. Additionally, EMU is now 62-45 all-time on the road and 24-23 against MAC foes when the score is decided by one point.
» With her win at No. 3 singles, Prerna Vichare secured the 100th combined win in her Eastern career. She finished her time in Ypsilanti with 40 singles wins and 60 doubles wins for the Eagles.
» Sabina Brichackova and Prerna Vichare saw their No. 1 doubles match go unfinished with the score tied at 5-5. The duo finished their careers with 44 wins together as Brichackova tallied 62 career wins, which tied for 16th all-time, while Vichare finished with 60, which tied for 20th all-time. Brichackova also will leave EMU with 57 singles wins (t-20th) and 119 combined wins (19th).
» Daniella Shved won her No. 1 singles match to grab her 14th win of the season and continue her trend of improvement. After finishing with 12 singles wins her freshman year, she tallied 13 last year before adding one more this season.
» Marta Komar earned a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 6 singles to clinch the win for the Eagles. It marked her third clinching point of the season and tied her with Daniella Shved for the most on the team this season.
» Viki Hazmukova won in straight sets to cap her freshman season with three consecutive wins at No. 2 singles. She captured 12 singles victories this year, tying her with Regina Mendez (Los Cabos, Mexico/Picacho McGregor) for second on the roster behind Daniella Shved's 14 wins.
Up Next
The 2024-25 season has come to an end.
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: Daniella Shved (EM) def. Elena Malykh, 6-2, 6-2
#2: Viki Hazmukova (EM) def. Jemima Williams-Phillips, 6-4, 6-4
#3: Prerna Vichare (EM) def. Chloe Brown, 6-2, 7-6(4)
#4: Isabelle Tanjuatco (BS) def. Sabina Brichackova, 6-4, 4-6, 1-0(6)
#5: Alana Bristow (BS) def. Kseniia Saenko, 6-3, 6-4
#6: Marta Komar (EM) def. Ella Hazelbaker, 7-5, 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 5, 2, 6, 3, 4
Doubles
#1: S. Brichackova / P. Vichare (EM) vs. A. Bristow / C. Brown (BS), 5-5, unf.
#2: I. Tanjuatco / J. Williams-Phillips (BS) def. V. Hazmukova / K. Saenko, 6-4
#3: E. Hazelbaker / E. Malykh (BS) def. M. Komar / D. Shved (EM), 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 2
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2
#1 Singles Match
12
66
Malykh, Elena / 0 [BSU]
22
#2 Singles Match
12
66
Williams-Phillips, J / 0 [BSU]
44
#3 Singles Match
12
67
Brown, Chloe / 0 [BSU]
26
#4 Singles Match
123
460
Tanjuatco, Isabel / 0 [BSU]
641
#5 Singles Match
12
34
Bristow, Alana / 0 [BSU]
66
#6 Singles Match
12
76
Hazelbaker, Ella / 0 [BSU]
54
Order of Finish:
1,5,2,6,3,4
Players Mentioned
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