Friday, April 21
Cayce, S.C.
8:00 A.M.
Creighton University
4
vs
2
#6 Connecticut
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
Women’s Tennis Opens BIG EAST Championships With 4-2 Quarterfinals Win over Connecticut, Advancing To First Semifinals In Program History
4/21/2023 11:15:00 AM | Women's Tennis
CAYCE, S.C. – For the first time in program history the Creighton women's tennis team advanced to the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tennis Championships Presented by JEEP after opening play with an 4-2 quarterfinals victory over sixth-seeded Connecticut on Friday morning at the Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center.
The Bluejays improved to 16-7 on the year with the win, while the Huskies ended their season with an 11-10 overall record.
Creighton started Friday's match out on the right foot by earning wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles matches to clinch the first point of the match. Freshman Ana Paula Martinez and sophomore Valerie Negin captured a 6-2 victory at the No. 2 doubles position to take an early advantage. Senior Kate Krueger and junior Bianca Rademacher then improved to 9-0 in doubles play with a 6-4 victory on the No. 3 doubles court to clinch the first point of the match.
In singles play, the Bluejays battled to wins at the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 5 singles positions to clinch the quarterfinals victory.
Connecticut got singles play started with a 6-2, 6-4 win at the No. 6 singles position to level the match at 1-1, before Rademacher regain the lead for the Bluejays with a 7-5, 6-3 straight-sets win on the No. 5 singles court.
Junior Malvika Shukla extended Creighton's advantage out to 3-1 following a 7-5, 7-6 tie-breaking win at the top singles position over Connecticut's Maria Constantinou.
The Huskies answered with a three-set victory at the No. 4 singles slot to cut the Bluejays lead down to 3-2, before Krueger ended the match with a three-set triumph at the No. 2 singles position. Krueger claimed the opening set with a 7-6 tie-breaker win but fell to Aleksandra Karamyshev in set two 6-4. Krueger then dominated the deciding third set, 6-1, to clinch the Bluejays first ever birth into the semifinals.
"It was a close match that we had to dig deep to beat a strong Connecticut team," said head coach Tom Lilly. "We knew they were a better team than when we played them a month ago and every match showed this time. Our doubles play wasn't great but we made things work and took the early advantage. In singles play, Malvika and Kate had to handle some tense moments and fight back at times when momentum switched against them. Bianca played very well and Valerie was just a few points away from taking her match. We will rest up for a tough battle tomorrow in our first ever semifinals."
Creighton advances to the semifinals for the BIG EAST Tennis Championships Presented by JEEP and will meet second-seeded DePaul on Saturday morning at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center at 8 a.m.
#3 Creighton 4, #6 Connecticut 2
Apr 21, 2023 at Cayce, S.C. (Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center)
The Bluejays improved to 16-7 on the year with the win, while the Huskies ended their season with an 11-10 overall record.
Creighton started Friday's match out on the right foot by earning wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles matches to clinch the first point of the match. Freshman Ana Paula Martinez and sophomore Valerie Negin captured a 6-2 victory at the No. 2 doubles position to take an early advantage. Senior Kate Krueger and junior Bianca Rademacher then improved to 9-0 in doubles play with a 6-4 victory on the No. 3 doubles court to clinch the first point of the match.
In singles play, the Bluejays battled to wins at the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 5 singles positions to clinch the quarterfinals victory.
Connecticut got singles play started with a 6-2, 6-4 win at the No. 6 singles position to level the match at 1-1, before Rademacher regain the lead for the Bluejays with a 7-5, 6-3 straight-sets win on the No. 5 singles court.
Junior Malvika Shukla extended Creighton's advantage out to 3-1 following a 7-5, 7-6 tie-breaking win at the top singles position over Connecticut's Maria Constantinou.
The Huskies answered with a three-set victory at the No. 4 singles slot to cut the Bluejays lead down to 3-2, before Krueger ended the match with a three-set triumph at the No. 2 singles position. Krueger claimed the opening set with a 7-6 tie-breaker win but fell to Aleksandra Karamyshev in set two 6-4. Krueger then dominated the deciding third set, 6-1, to clinch the Bluejays first ever birth into the semifinals.
"It was a close match that we had to dig deep to beat a strong Connecticut team," said head coach Tom Lilly. "We knew they were a better team than when we played them a month ago and every match showed this time. Our doubles play wasn't great but we made things work and took the early advantage. In singles play, Malvika and Kate had to handle some tense moments and fight back at times when momentum switched against them. Bianca played very well and Valerie was just a few points away from taking her match. We will rest up for a tough battle tomorrow in our first ever semifinals."
Creighton advances to the semifinals for the BIG EAST Tennis Championships Presented by JEEP and will meet second-seeded DePaul on Saturday morning at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center at 8 a.m.
#3 Creighton 4, #6 Connecticut 2
Apr 21, 2023 at Cayce, S.C. (Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center)
| Singles competition |
| 1. Malvika Shukla (CU) def. Maria Constantinou (UCONN) 7-5, 7-6 |
| 2. Kate Krueger (CU) def. Aleksandra Karamyshe (UCONN) 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 |
| 3. Valerie Negin (CU) vs. Olivia Wright (UCONN) 5-7, 6-4, 4-3, unfinished |
| 4. Cameron Didion (UCONN) def. Ana Paula Martinez (CU) 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 |
| 5. Bianca Rademacher (CU) def. Isabela Petri Bere (UCONN) 7-5, 6-3 |
| 6. Caroline Cook (UCONN) def. Siri Kongara (CU) 6-2, 6-4 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Leanne Kendall/Malvika Shukla (CU) vs. Aleksandra Karamyshe/Isabela Petri Bere (UCONN) 5-5, unfinished |
| 2. Ana Paula Martinez/Valerie Negin (CU) def. Olivia Wright/Cameron Didion (UCONN) 6-2 |
| 3. Kate Krueger/Bianca Rademacher (CU) def. Maria Constantinou/Doga Selen Takunyaci (UCONN) 6-4 |
| Match Notes |
| #6 Connecticut 11-10 |
| #3 Creighton 16-7 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,5,1,4,2) |
| BIG EAST Tennis Championships Quarterfinals |
| T-2:35 |
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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