Women's Tennis Clinches Spot in MVC Championship, Downs Northern Iowa 6-1

WATERLOO, Iowa – Overcoming a 1-0 deficit after doubles play, the Belmont University women's tennis team captured a 6-1 road victory Saturday against Northern Iowa indoors at the Black Hawk Tennis Club in Waterloo, Iowa. With the win, the Bruins (11-9, 4-3 MVC) secure a spot in next weekend's Missouri Valley Conference Tennis Championship hosted by Belmont at the Beaman Family Tennis Complex.
 
After dropping the doubles point, Belmont took all six singles matches, including straight-set triumphs at the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 6 positions in the lineup.
 
Junior Aly Getty and freshman Hana Sokolovic were the lone winners in doubles action as the duo cruised past the Panthers' Issa Sullivan and Lasya Mylavarapu, 6-1, at the third spot. At No. 1 doubles, Northern Iowa's Darta Dalecka and Lorena Cardoso topped sophomore Mariia Hlahola and junior Anastasiya Zholdakova 6-3 before the Panthers' Andrijana Brkic and Kanyanut Sudsaard clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 No. 2 doubles win against junior Viktoria Kliimand and freshman Vesa Gjinaj.
 
Remaining unbeaten in MVC play at the top singles spot, Hlahola gave up only three games to Brkic in a 6-3, 6-0 win. Both Kliimand at No. 4 singles and Getty at No. 6 singles were nearly equally impressive with convincing 6-1, 6-3 victories. Kliimand dismissed Sudsaard at the fourth spot as Getty took care of Mylavarapu at the sixth spot.
 
At No. 2 singles, Gjinaj came back from an opening-set 7-4 tiebreaker that went Dalecka's way with a pair of 6-4 wins in the second and third sets.
 
Zholdakova also prevailed in three sets on court three against Cardoso. Despite Cardoso evening the match with a 6-4 second set win, Zholdakova was relentless in the decisive third. After winning set one 6-1, Zholdakova repeated her performance with a 6-1 triumph in the third set.
 
In a hard-fought match at No. 5 singles, Sokolovic defeated Sullivan in a third-set super tiebreaker. Denying Northern Iowa (3-16, 0-8 MVC) of a second point on the day, Sokolovic won 6-4, 5-7, (10-6).
 
Up Next
The Bruins, who are vying for as high as a No. 3 seed at next weekend's MVC Championship, wrap up the regular season Sunday at Drake. First serve from the Roger Knapp Tennis Center in Des Moines, Iowa, is slated for 11 a.m. Belmont is in a four-way tie for third place in the Valley standings.
 
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