Women's Tennis Downs Missouri State 5-2 for Key MVC Road Victory

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Securing a key road win and moving to 4-2 in Missouri Valley Conference play, the Belmont University women's tennis team defeated Missouri State 5-2 Saturday at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Missouri. Improving to 5-13 on the season, the Bruins won the doubles point with victories at the second and third positions before taking four of the six singles matches.
 
After leading the Bears the last two seasons, from 2022-24, Belmont first-year head coach Ellie Burger was triumphant in her return to her alma mater.
 
The duos of seniors Aly Getty and Anastasiya Zholdakova at the No. 2 spot and junior Libbie Hamilton and freshman Sarah McElrath at the No. 3 spot won the all-important doubles point for the Bruins. Getty and Zholdakova dismissed Missouri State's Sandra Lukacova and Raluca Puscas 6-3, while Hamilton and McElrath topped the Bears' Lola Federski and Romy Pols by an identical 6-3 score.
 
Missouri State (3-18, 2-3 MVC) did win at the top doubles court with Billur Gonlusen and Tuana Gunal getting past senior Viktoria Kliimand and sophomore Hana Sokolovic, 6-2.
 
Belmont wasted little time in clinching the match with convincing straight-set wins at the No. 6, No. 5 and No. 1 singles positions. At No. 6, McElrath gave up only two games to Federski in a 6-1, 6-1 rout as Getty bested Pols 6-3, 6-2 at the fifth spot.
 
At the top of the singles lineup, Zholdakova pulled away from Gunal 6-3, 6-0 to give the Bruins the needed fourth point.
 
Sokolovic provided Belmont with its fifth point of the day when she defeated Lukacova at No. 3 singles, 7-0 in a first-set tiebreaker and 6-3 in the second set.
 
The Bears' two points came on courts two and four with Gonlusen overcoming Kliimand at No. 2 singles and Puscas topping Hamilton at No. 4 singles.
 
Up Next
The Bruins close out the regular season next weekend on the road when they travel to Illinois State Friday and Bradley Saturday. The 2025 MVC Championship will be held in two weeks, Friday-Sunday, April 25-27 at the Valpo Tennis Complex in Valparaiso, Indiana.
 
How to Follow
Follow Belmont women's tennis on social media – @BelmontWTennis on X, formerly Twitter, @belmontwtennis on Instagram and Belmont Women's Tennis on Facebook – for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.