VALPARAISO — The wait is over and history has been made, as the UIC women's tennis team captured its first Missouri Valley Conference Championship on Sunday, delivering a statement 4-0 victory over Murray State at the Valparaiso Tennis Complex. In just their third season in the MVC, the Flames reached the mountaintop, achieving what can only be described as one of the biggest wins since joining the MVC and getting their 20th conference title in program history.
It was a complete performance by UIC, who snapped Murray State's 13-match winning streak with authority. UIC improves to 17-4 overall, and earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Tennis Team Championship tournament beginning on May 2.
In singles, Mayu Ushio continued her incredible form, winning 6-4, 6-3 at No. 1 to keep the momentum rolling. Marta Halbersztadt delivered a clutch 6-3, 7-5 win at No. 4, and Anais Brion came through with a strong 6-4, 6-2 victory at the No. 6 position. Halbersztadt's victory at the no. 4 position was the match clincher.
In doubles, UIC struck first with big wins from Camille Belberka and Edit Cosmo at No. 1 (6-2) and Nia Cooper and Paula Rodriguez Gregoris at No. 3 (6-3) to earn the early advantage and never looked back.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
After the match, head coach Elizabeth Lumpkin Robinson shared her pride and excitement for her team's historic achievement:
"We talked about this all year, and our theme this season was, 'We've prepared, we've gotten ready, and now it's just time to party and enjoy it.' And that's exactly what we did today. We stayed locked in, we stayed present, we owned every court, and I'm just so proud of how they handled the moment trying to do something extraordinary. They trusted themselves, they trusted me. Thank you so much to UIC Athletics for the support and for giving me and this team the opportunity to represent such a great institution."
UP NEXT
The Flames will tune in to the NCAA Selection Show on Monday at 4 p.m. CT to learn where they will head for the first round, as well as who their opponent will be. First round matches are scheduled to begin on May 2.
FOLLOW THE FLAMES
For more information on UIC women's tennis, visit
UICFlames.com or follow the Flames on X (@UIC_WTEN and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_wten and @uicflames).
