The EMU women's tennis team defeated Eastern Illinois University 5-2 and lost 7-0 to Illinois at the Atkins Tennis Center in Champaign, Ill. on Sunday, Jan. 26. The two matches were the second and third of 2020, with one loss to Michigan State on Jan. 23 and three invitationals this past fall.
EMU and EIU played each other earlier this season on Oct. 10-12 in the EIU Fall Invitational in Charleston, Ill. This past match had the Eagles winning all three doubles matches. Natalia Regalado and Emma-Lou Pommiers won 6-2 over Lauren Ellis and Rachel Papavasilopoulos. Vasavi Ganesan and Isabelle Popma won 6-1 versus Christine Gouws and Brittany Steven. Marie Mayerova and Julia Piatek defeated Elizaveta Bukraba-Ulanova and Karla Contreras 6-4.
The Eagles won four of the six singles matchups. Ellis won 6-0, 6-0 for EIU over Essence Eaton of EMU and Papavasilopoulos defeated Mayerova 6-4, 6-2. It was EMU's Emma-Lou Pommpiers getting a three-set win over Bukraba-Ulanova (2-6, 6-4, 6-1). Ganesan won 6-2, 7-5 over Gouws and Isabelle Pompa won 6-3, 6-4 versus Contreras. The last singles match to finish was Piatek defeating Steven 6-4, 7-6.
Regalado and Ganesan won 6-2 over Esa Kavtaradez and Bukraba-Ulanova of EIU in the October tournament. The team of Ellis and Steven defeated Pommiers and Eaton 6-4 in the same invitational. Ganesan won the only singles match between the schools by a score of 8-5 over Kavtaradez.
Illinois won the second match over EMU 7-0. Mia Rabinowitz for Illinois defeated Mayerova 6-1, 6-4 . Sasha Belaya won 6-2, 6-2 over Ganesan. Ashley Yeah defeated Popma 7-5, 6-2 . Piatek won two games over Illinois' Emily Casati in the second set but was swept in the first. Pommiers and Eaton were both swept 6-0 in each of their sets against Josie Frazier and Emilee Duong.
The doubles competitions featured three wins for the Fighting Illini. Douong and Frazier won 4-3 over Mayerova and Piatek. Belaya and Rabinowitz defeated Popma and Ganesan 6-2, while Illinois' Asuka Kawai and Yeah got the victory 6-4 over Regaldo and Pommiers.
EMU has 10 scheduled matches for the month of February. The first is on Feb. 7 against Southern Indiana away in Evansville. The second will be on the Sunday of that weekend on Feb. 9 in Bloomington against Indiana. EMU won't be playing a home match at the Chippewa Club until March 6 against Oakland.
