Skip To Main Content

UIC Athletics

thevalley
Zara Ryan
1
Oral Roberts ORU (4-9)
4
Winner UIC UIC (4-9)
Oral Roberts ORU
(4-9)
1
Final
4
UIC UIC
(4-9)
Winner

Match Recap: Women's Tennis |

Women’s Tennis Defeats Oral Roberts in Non-Conference Finale

The Flames won four singles matches in Thursday’s 4-1 victory over the Golden Eagles

CHICAGO (March 21, 2024) – Behind four victories in singles competition, the UIC women's tennis program (4-9) defeat Oral Roberts 4-1 in its final non-conference match of the season.
 
After dropping the doubles point to the Golden Eagles, the Flames won matches at the Nos. 2, 4, 5 and 6 singles positions to earn their fourth victory of the 2024 season.
  COMMENT FROM HEAD COACH ELIZABETH LUMPKIN ROBINSON

"It was a roller coaster of a match but we found a way to focus more on our strategy and solving challenges than on ourselves. We are excited for our first MVC match of the 2024 season and carrying the lessons from today's match into future matches."
 
MATCH RECAP
  • In doubles action, UIC's No. 2 doubles tandem of Zara Ryan (Dublin, Ireland/Utah State) Mayu Ushio (Yamaguchi, Japan/Miami University) swept their Oral Roberts counterparts, winning their second-straight match as a pair. The Golden Eagles would win the other two doubles matches to secure the doubles point.
  • The Flames got out to a fast start in singles competition, as Camille Belberka (Saint-Denis-lès-Bourg, France Seward County Community College (Kan.) cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over her ORU opponent at the No. 3 spot.
  • At No. 5 singles, Ryan made quick work of her opponent, winning in straight-sets for her fourth victory in her last five matches.
  • Competing at No. 2 singles  Tamara Malazonia (Birmingham, United Kingdom/St. Paul's School for Girls) won in three sets for her first singles victory since March 1.
  • With the Flames leading 3-1 in the team standings, Paula Rodriguez Gregoris (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands/International School of Berne) won in three sets to clinch the match victory for UIC. Thursday's win was Rodriguez Gregoris' first singles victory of the 2024 season.
  • Agnes Gustafsson (Paris, France/Akademi Båstad Gymnasium was leading 5-2 in the third set at No. 1 singles, but the match went unfinished due to UIC already clinching the team victory. Ushio's match at No. 3 singles went unfinished as well.
Full results from Thursday's match are below.
 
RESULTS
 
UIC 4, ORU 1
 
Doubles – ORU wins the doubles point
  1. Grammatikaki/Sorokina (ORU) def. Gustafsson/Belberka (UIC) 6-1
  2. Ushio/Ryan (UIC) def. Miley/Lebedeva (ORU) 6-0
  3. Cervantes/Iskakova (ORU) def. Malazonia/Rodriguez Gregoris (UIC) 6-4
Singles
  1. Gustafsson (UIC) vs. Sorokina (ORU) 7-5, 1-6, 5-2, unfinished
  2. Malazonia (UIC) def. Grammatikaki (ORU) 6-2, 6-7 (7-5), 6-4
  3. Ushio (UIC) vs. Miley (ORU) 6-3, 3-6, 3-4, unfinished
  4. Belberka (UIC) def. Iskakova (ORU) 6-1, 6-1
  5. Ryan (UIC) def. Cervantes (ORU) 6-1, 6-4
  6. Rodriguez Gregoria (UIC) def. Wise (ORU) 7-5, 4-6, 6-2
UP NEXT                              
  • The Flames open Missouri Valley Conference competition Sunday at 12 p.m. against Drake at the XS Tennis Village or Flames Outdoor Tennis Courts.
  • Drake enters Sunday's contest with a 4-8 record on the season and is currently 2-7 away from home this season.
  • The Bulldogs have lost six of their last seven matches, with all seven matches taking place on the road.
  • Drake leads the overall series against UIC 7-5 and won last season's match in Des Moines, Iowa 5-2.
  • The Bulldogs are the reigning MVC champion and reach the NCAA Tournament after winning the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Tennis Championship.
FOLLOW THE FLAMES
  • For more information on the UIC women's tennis program, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UICWTEN and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_wten and @uicflames).
Print Friendly Version