University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Illinois State
Panther tennis to host Illinois State, Bradley to begin final stretch of season
4/11/2024 3:45:00 PM | Women's Tennis
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI tennis will play its final three duals of the 2023-24 season on its home courts with warm weather on the horizon as the Panthers welcome in the Illinois State Redbirds and Bradley Braves this weekend to the UNI Tennis Courts.
Northern Iowa will take on Illinois State at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 13, followed by its matchup with the Braves on Sunday at 10 a.m. CT.
The Panthers will face a tough slate as they battled the reigning Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) regular season champions in the Redbirds, who sit at 4-1 in league play entering the weekend (13-6 overall). Bradley meanwhile comes to town having dropped its last two duals, sitting two spots ahead of UNI in the league standings. UNI has dropped its last six duals, coming up short in a 7-0 loss at UIC and 6-1 loss at Valparaiso last weekend.
Battling shorthanded during the last few weekends, UNI will look for a spark in its play down the final stretch of the year. Darta Dalecka leads the Panthers in singles play with a 13-15 record on the season, while Andrijana Brkic has recorded a 12-8 mark. In doubles, Brkic and Dalecka continue their hunt for their first win as a duo after four matches played together this year, as Issa Sullivan and Kanyanut Sudsaard look for their second as a pairing.
Illinois State was picked second in the MVC's preseason poll with three first-place votes, just behind Drake. The Redbirds have won their last three duals, including a 5-2 win over UIC and 6-1 victory against Bradley last weekend in Normal. UNI has only beaten Illinois State eight times in dual competition since its first meeting with the Redbirds in 1983, having last beaten their MVC rival in 2018.
Bradley, voted to finish seventh in the conference preseason coaches poll, will play at Drake on Saturday afternoon before making the trip to Cedar Falls. In addition to a road loss at Illinois State last week, the Braves also dropped a road dual at Saint Louis on April 4 by a 5-2 score. UNI trails Bradley in the all-time dual series with a 22-31 record against the Braves, seeking to snap a six-dual skid and grab its first win in the series since 2015.
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