Women's Tennis' 2026 Campaign Comes to a Close in MVC Championship First Round

CHICAGO – Despite winning the doubles point, the Belmont University women's tennis team's 2026 season came to an end Friday afternoon at the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Championship in the Windy City with a 4-1 loss to third-seeded Murray State. The sixth-seeded Bruins (3-18, 2-5 MVC) took the opening point with victories at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles, before the Racers (10-10, 5-2 MVC) won four straight-set singles matches at the University of Illinois Chicago's Flames Outdoor Tennis Courts.
 
Belmont's third doubles tandem of junior Emma Grant and freshman Ketevan Jeladze gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the match with a 7-5 win over Murray State's Barbora Hermanova and Arden Dethridge. At the top of the doubles lineup, redshirt freshman Savannah Webster and sophomore Jessica Popiol took care of the Racers' Valeria Chaikovskaia and Bruna Melato, 6-3.
 
Graduate Cielo Tapia-Cruz and junior Hana Sokolovic were knotted at 5-5 with Murray State's Yuna Kadowaki and Yu Kikawa when Grant and Jeladze clinched the doubles point.
 
Both Tapia-Cruz at No. 2 singles and Popiol at No. 3 singles won 6-2 opening sets, however, the Racers' Kadowaki and Kikawa responded with set two wins. The two matches went unfinished as Murray State conceded no more than six combined games on any court at the No. 1 and No. 4-6 positions.
 
At the top singles spot, MVC Co-Player of the Year Chaikovskaia bested Webster 6-2, 6-4. The Racers' Sofia Issakova topped Jeladze 6-3, 6-1 at No. 4 singles and Melato defeated Grant 6-2, 6-1 at fifth singles.
 
Murray State's Rebecca Widan closed the match at the sixth spot with a 6-2, 6-3 win over senior Libbie Hamilton.
 
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.