Friday, April 22
Cayce, S.C.
11:45 AM
Creighton University
3
vs
4
Marquette
Photo by: Travis Bell, Sideline Carolina Photography
Women’s Tennis Drops a 4-3 Decision To #2 Marquette In BIG EAST Championships Quarterfinal
4/22/2022 4:27:00 PM | Women's Tennis
CAYCE, S.C. – The No. 7 seed Creighton women's tennis team dropped a 4-3 decision in the final singles match to No. 2 seeded Marquette in the Quarterfinals of the 2022 BIG EAST Championships Presented by JEEP at the Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center in Cayce, South Carolina.
The Bluejays close out the season with a 12-9 overall record, while the Golden Eagles improve to 13-9 on the year and advance to one of Saturday's semifinal matches.
Marquette earned the first point of the day on Friday with identical wins at the top two doubles positions. Emilija Kojcic and Natalija Popovic teamed up for a 6-3 win at the No. 1 doubles slot, while Lara Kaiser and Giulia Turconi also earned a 6-3 win at the No. 2 doubles position to give the Golden Eagles a 1-0 advantage.
When the contest turned to singles action, the first five singles matches went in straight sets as the Bluejays evened the match up at 3-3. Creighton claimed victories at the No. 1, 3 and 4 singles positions.
Sophomore Malvika Shukla opened singles with a 6-0, 6-3 straight-sets win at the No. 4 singles slot to put the Bluejays on the scoreboard.
Marquette responded with a 6-1, 6-4 win at the No. 2 slot to give the Golden Eagles a 2-1 edge. That lead didn't last long as junior Kate Krueger answered with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph at the top singles spot to even thing back up at 2-2.
Following a win at the No. 5 singles spot that gave Marquette the 3-2 lead, senior Sarah Wilcox knotted things up once again with a 7-6 (2), 6-1 straight-sets win at the No. 3 singles position for the Bluejays.
The entire match came down to a tight decisive three-set affair on the No. 6 singles court. After dropping the first set, 6-2, freshman Allison Wilcox rebounded for a 6-3 victory in the second stanza to even the match. In set three, A. Wilcox fell behind, 5-3, but responded to even the set up at 5-5, before Kaiser won the final two games to clinch match point for the Golden Eagles.
"What a great battle between two very good teams," said head coach Tom Lilly. "We just didn't have our best doubles and Marquette is very well coached and just played better doubles. I loved how our girls competed all year and it was no different today. It came down to the last match against the No. 2 seed and we gave it all we had. I am veery proud of this team for the way they all competed this season."
Friday afternoon marker the final collegiate match for three Bluejays, Meredith Benson, Gabby O'Connor and Sarah Wilcox.
The trio has combined for 216 total wins with S. Wilcox recording 106 single and double victories in her four years with the Bluejays. O'Connor compiled 59 total wins in her career, while Benson has 52 total wins for the Bluejays.
#7 Creighton vs #2 Marquette (Apr 22, 2022)
#2 Marquette 4, #7 Creighton 3
Apr 22, 2022 at Cayce, S.C. (Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center)
The Bluejays close out the season with a 12-9 overall record, while the Golden Eagles improve to 13-9 on the year and advance to one of Saturday's semifinal matches.
Marquette earned the first point of the day on Friday with identical wins at the top two doubles positions. Emilija Kojcic and Natalija Popovic teamed up for a 6-3 win at the No. 1 doubles slot, while Lara Kaiser and Giulia Turconi also earned a 6-3 win at the No. 2 doubles position to give the Golden Eagles a 1-0 advantage.
When the contest turned to singles action, the first five singles matches went in straight sets as the Bluejays evened the match up at 3-3. Creighton claimed victories at the No. 1, 3 and 4 singles positions.
Sophomore Malvika Shukla opened singles with a 6-0, 6-3 straight-sets win at the No. 4 singles slot to put the Bluejays on the scoreboard.
Marquette responded with a 6-1, 6-4 win at the No. 2 slot to give the Golden Eagles a 2-1 edge. That lead didn't last long as junior Kate Krueger answered with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph at the top singles spot to even thing back up at 2-2.
Following a win at the No. 5 singles spot that gave Marquette the 3-2 lead, senior Sarah Wilcox knotted things up once again with a 7-6 (2), 6-1 straight-sets win at the No. 3 singles position for the Bluejays.
The entire match came down to a tight decisive three-set affair on the No. 6 singles court. After dropping the first set, 6-2, freshman Allison Wilcox rebounded for a 6-3 victory in the second stanza to even the match. In set three, A. Wilcox fell behind, 5-3, but responded to even the set up at 5-5, before Kaiser won the final two games to clinch match point for the Golden Eagles.
"What a great battle between two very good teams," said head coach Tom Lilly. "We just didn't have our best doubles and Marquette is very well coached and just played better doubles. I loved how our girls competed all year and it was no different today. It came down to the last match against the No. 2 seed and we gave it all we had. I am veery proud of this team for the way they all competed this season."
Friday afternoon marker the final collegiate match for three Bluejays, Meredith Benson, Gabby O'Connor and Sarah Wilcox.
The trio has combined for 216 total wins with S. Wilcox recording 106 single and double victories in her four years with the Bluejays. O'Connor compiled 59 total wins in her career, while Benson has 52 total wins for the Bluejays.
#7 Creighton vs #2 Marquette (Apr 22, 2022)
#2 Marquette 4, #7 Creighton 3
Apr 22, 2022 at Cayce, S.C. (Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center)
| Singles competition |
| 1. Kate Krueger (CU) def. Natalija Popovic (MU) 6-2, 6-4 |
| 2. Emilija Kojcic (MU) def. Valerie Negin (CU) 6-1, 6-4 |
| 3. Sarah Wilcox (CU) def. Andie Weise (MU) 7-6 (2), 6-1 |
| 4. Malvika Shukla (CU) def. Elizabeth Ferdman (MU) 6-0, 6-3 |
| 5. Elisabeth Desmarais (MU) def. Meredith Benson (CU) 7-6 (3), 6-0 |
| 6. Lara Kaiser (MU) def. Allison Wilcox (CU) 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Emilija Kojcic/Natalija Popovic (MU) def. Kate Krueger/Valerie Negin (CU) 6-3 |
| 2. Lara Kaiser/Giulia Turconi (MU) def. Sarah Wilcox/Malvika Shukla (CU) 6-3 |
| 3. Elisabeth Desmarais/Elizabeth Ferdman (MU) vs. Gabby O'Connor/Meredith Benson (CU) 4-2, unfinished |
| Match Notes |
| #7 Creighton 12-8 |
| #2 Marquette 13-9 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (4,2,1,5,3,6) |
| 2022 BIG EAST Championships Quarterfinals |
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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