A big rally by UIC pushed the Flames past Western Michigan, 4-3, after the Flames had to win each of the last three matches on the courts.
"We raised our level of intensity and competitiveness,"
Shannon Tully said, after
Lea Forste-Dinell,
Ana Jover, and
Dominika Hrabalova each won their singles matches following a 3-1 team deficit. It was the fourth straight win for the team.
Doubles Results
Singles Results
- Gustafsson evened the team score with a 6-2, 6-2 win at #1. "Agnes took every competitive advantage she could," Tully said. "She played her style and flew off the court. It was steady and mission-driven tennis."
- Malazonia fell in the #2 flight, 6-4, 6-4.
- Hermanny de Figueiredo lost a 6-4, 6-4 match at #5. "Tamara and Marina tried to hang in there" but ultimately succumbed, Tully said.
- Forste-Dinell helped the team stave off a loss with a 6-3, 7-6 (5) win at #6. She double faulted on match point twice at 6-5, but recovered to win the tiebreaker.
- Jover was pushed to a third set at #3, where she led 5-1 only to see her opponent fight off multiple match points. Eventually leading 5-4, 40-30 in the third set, she lost that point but won the deuce point to take the match, 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-4.
- Hrabalova also dropped the second set, leaving her on the courts at the same time as Jover with both needing a win. Like her teammate, Hrabalova had a big lead in the third set and had to weather a comeback on the #4 court. Her finale was a copy of Jover's – and came just seconds after Jover closed out her match – as she won the deuce point to take a 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-4 win.
Up Next
- The Flames will have the weekend off before returning to action with two matches next weekend.
- UIC will face Western Kentucky March 26 and Butler March 27, both in Indianapolis.
