Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, February 1
East Lansing, MI
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
0
at
4
Michigan State
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Tennis Falls at Michigan State, 4-0
2/1/2026 5:40:00 PM | Tennis
Eastern Michigan’s six-match winning streak to open the season came to an end
EAST LANSING, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University tennis team dropped a 4-0 decision at Michigan State University Sunday, Feb. 1, inside the MSU Indoor Tennis Center in East Lansing, Mich., to see its six-match winning streak come to an end. The Eagles (6-1) also saw their four-match road winning streak end as the Spartans (2-0) prevailed on their home courts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Eastern struck first in doubles as the No. 3 team of Iva Daneva (Kavadarci, North Macedonia/DSU Sportska Akademija) and Regina Mendez Carreño (Los Cabos, Mexico/Picacho McGregor) scored a quick 6-1 win. The Spartans responded with wins in the No. 1 and No. 2 bouts to take the doubles point and a 1-0 lead in the team scoring. Lara Diaz Zayas (Mar de Ajo, Argentina/SEADEA) and Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya (Serang, Indonesia/SMAN 2 Kota Serang) lost their match at No. 1, 6-1, before Matilde Parreira (Leiria, Portugal/Escola Secundária Afonso Lopes) and Sabrina Tolstova (Odesa, Ukraine/Tennisquick Los Cristianos) fell at No. 2, 6-3, marking the first loss of the spring season for the freshman duo.
In singles play, the Spartans won matches at No. 6, No. 5, and No. 1 in straight sets to capture the 4-0 victory. The remaining three matches went unfinished with the hosts leading in each.
NOTING THE TEAM
» With the loss, the Eagles fell to 6-1 on the year while the Spartans improved to 2-0.
» Eastern is now 6-43 all-time against Michigan State and has dropped 18 consecutive matches in the series.
» The Eagles are 3-1 this season against fellow Michigan schools and stands 105-115 all-time in "Mitten Matches".
» The loss dropped the program's all-time record to 551-468 as it is currently playing its 49th varsity season.
» EMU fell for the first time in 2026 after opening the season with a 6-0 record, which tied for the best start in program history. The loss also snapped a nine-match winning streak that dated back to the 2025 season and tied for the second-longest in program history with the 2017-18 team.
» Eastern also saw its 4-0 record in road contests come to an end, which tied for the third-best start in program history.
Up Next
Eastern returns to action for its second of three same-day doubleheaders as the Eagles are set to travel to Richmond, Ky., Friday, Feb. 6. The Eagles will take on host Eastern Michigan University in the opening match that is set to start at 11 a.m. before EMU takes on the University of Tennessee Chattanooga in a 4 p.m. match.
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).
Michigan State def. Eastern Michigan, 4-0
#1: Ellie Blackford (MS) def. Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya, 6-3, 6-0
#2: Sabrina Tolstova (EM) trailed Amara Brahmbhatt (MS), 4-6, 2-4, unfinished
#3: Pehal Kharadkar (EM) trailed Matilde Morais (MS), 1-6, 2-5, unfinished
#4: Regina Mendez Carreño (EM) trailed Nina Plihal (MS), 5-7, 2-5, unfinished
#5: Issey Purser (MS) def. Matilde Parreira, 6-2, 6-2
#6: Oriana Parkins-Godwin (MS) def. Iva Daneva, 6-4, 6-0
Order of Finish: 6, 5, 1
Doubles
#1: Ellie Blackford/Matilde Morias (MS) def. Lara Diaz Zayas/Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya, 6-1
#2: Nina Plihal/Issey Purser (MS) def. Matilde Parreira/Sabrina Tolstova, 6-3
#3: Iva Daneva/Regina Mendez Carreño (EM) def. Sarah Fazlagic/Oriana Parkins-Godwin, 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
HOW IT HAPPENED
Eastern struck first in doubles as the No. 3 team of Iva Daneva (Kavadarci, North Macedonia/DSU Sportska Akademija) and Regina Mendez Carreño (Los Cabos, Mexico/Picacho McGregor) scored a quick 6-1 win. The Spartans responded with wins in the No. 1 and No. 2 bouts to take the doubles point and a 1-0 lead in the team scoring. Lara Diaz Zayas (Mar de Ajo, Argentina/SEADEA) and Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya (Serang, Indonesia/SMAN 2 Kota Serang) lost their match at No. 1, 6-1, before Matilde Parreira (Leiria, Portugal/Escola Secundária Afonso Lopes) and Sabrina Tolstova (Odesa, Ukraine/Tennisquick Los Cristianos) fell at No. 2, 6-3, marking the first loss of the spring season for the freshman duo.
In singles play, the Spartans won matches at No. 6, No. 5, and No. 1 in straight sets to capture the 4-0 victory. The remaining three matches went unfinished with the hosts leading in each.
NOTING THE TEAM
» With the loss, the Eagles fell to 6-1 on the year while the Spartans improved to 2-0.
» Eastern is now 6-43 all-time against Michigan State and has dropped 18 consecutive matches in the series.
» The Eagles are 3-1 this season against fellow Michigan schools and stands 105-115 all-time in "Mitten Matches".
» The loss dropped the program's all-time record to 551-468 as it is currently playing its 49th varsity season.
» EMU fell for the first time in 2026 after opening the season with a 6-0 record, which tied for the best start in program history. The loss also snapped a nine-match winning streak that dated back to the 2025 season and tied for the second-longest in program history with the 2017-18 team.
» Eastern also saw its 4-0 record in road contests come to an end, which tied for the third-best start in program history.
Up Next
Eastern returns to action for its second of three same-day doubleheaders as the Eagles are set to travel to Richmond, Ky., Friday, Feb. 6. The Eagles will take on host Eastern Michigan University in the opening match that is set to start at 11 a.m. before EMU takes on the University of Tennessee Chattanooga in a 4 p.m. match.
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).
Michigan State def. Eastern Michigan, 4-0
#1: Ellie Blackford (MS) def. Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya, 6-3, 6-0
#2: Sabrina Tolstova (EM) trailed Amara Brahmbhatt (MS), 4-6, 2-4, unfinished
#3: Pehal Kharadkar (EM) trailed Matilde Morais (MS), 1-6, 2-5, unfinished
#4: Regina Mendez Carreño (EM) trailed Nina Plihal (MS), 5-7, 2-5, unfinished
#5: Issey Purser (MS) def. Matilde Parreira, 6-2, 6-2
#6: Oriana Parkins-Godwin (MS) def. Iva Daneva, 6-4, 6-0
Order of Finish: 6, 5, 1
Doubles
#1: Ellie Blackford/Matilde Morias (MS) def. Lara Diaz Zayas/Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya, 6-1
#2: Nina Plihal/Issey Purser (MS) def. Matilde Parreira/Sabrina Tolstova, 6-3
#3: Iva Daneva/Regina Mendez Carreño (EM) def. Sarah Fazlagic/Oriana Parkins-Godwin, 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1,2
#1 Singles Match
12
30
Ellie Blackford / 0 [MSU]
66
#2 Singles Match
123
420
Amara Brahmbhatt / 0 [MSU]
64UF
#3 Singles Match
123
120
Matilde Morais / 0 [MSU]
65UF
#4 Singles Match
123
520
Nina Plihal / 0 [MSU]
75UF
#5 Singles Match
12
22
Issey Purser / 0 [MSU]
66
#6 Singles Match
12
40
O. Parkins-Godwin / 0 [MSU]
66
Order of Finish:
6,5,1
Players Mentioned
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