Women's Tennis Embarks on Iowa Road Trip to Close Out Regular Season

 
WATERLOO, Iowa – Looking to snap a two-match skid, the Belmont University women's tennis team heads to Iowa for a pair of Missouri Valley Conference matches to wrap up the regular season. First, the Bruins (10-9, 3-3 MVC) will take on Northern Iowa (3-15, 0-7 MVC) Saturday morning at 9 a.m. indoors at the Black Hawk Tennis Club in Waterloo, Iowa. On Sunday, Belmont will head south to the Roger Knapp Tennis Center in Des Moines, Iowa, to face Drake (8-11, 4-3 MVC) in the regular season finale.
 
A win in either match will clinch a spot for the Bruins in next weekend's MVC Tennis Championship, which Belmont is hosting in Nashville.
 
The Bruins swept the Panthers 7-0 in their first meeting as Valley opponents last April.
 
Sunday's match against the Bulldogs will be a rematch of last year's MVC Tennis Championship semifinals. Drake prevailed 4-2 in a hard-fought affair before capturing the tournament title.
 
Sophomore Mariia Hlahola and freshman Vesa Gjinaj have both eclipsed 20 singles victories this year, including the fall. Occupying Belmont's No. 1 spot, Hlahola has won six-straight singles matches and has not lost in MVC play with an unblemished 6-0 record.
 
Winless in MVC play, Northern Iowa's last win came on March 2 at NCAA Division III Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota. The Panthers are 2-6 at home with triumphs over Western Illinois and Iowa Central Community College.
 
The Bulldogs enter the weekend having lost two of their last three, including a narrow 4-3 loss last Sunday against Illinois State. Drake also suffered a 4-3 setback at MVC-leader Murray State on April 7. A 5-2 defeat at the University of Illinois Chicago was the Bulldogs' first conference loss and Drake's four MVC wins have come against Bradley (6-1), Missouri State (4-1), Northern Iowa (7-0) and Valparaiso (4-3).
 
At home this season, the Bulldogs are 4-2.
 
Up Next
The Bruins will host the 2024 MVC Tennis Championship next weekend at the Beaman Family Tennis Complex in the Music City Friday-Sunday, April 26-28. Tournament seeding and matchups will be announced Sunday evening at the conclusion of the regular season.
 
 
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