Thursday, April 17
Cayce, S.C. (Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center)
8:00 a.m.
Creighton University
3
vs
4
#9 Seton Hall
Photo by: Travis Bell, Sideline Carolina Photography
Women’s Tennis Ends Season in BIG EAST Tournament Setback to Seton Hall
4/17/2025 11:02:00 AM | Women's Tennis
CAYCE, S.C. – The No. 8 seed Creighton women's tennis team had its season come to an end following a 4-2 loss to No. 9 seeded Seton Hall in the first round of the 2025 BIG EAST Tennis Championships Presented by Jeep at the Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center in Cayce, S.C. on Thursday morning.
The Bluejays closed out the season with an 11-8 overall record, while the Pirates improved to 12-11 on the year and advanced to the Friday's quarterfinals match against top-seeded UConn.
"This was a tough way to go down," Head Coach Tom Lilly stated. "Credit Seton Hall for playing well in singles and earning the win. This match was somewhat typical of our season, a little up and down. We played some strong doubles but then were too tight and didn't handle the BIG EAST Tournament pressure will."
Creighton started Thursday's match out on the right foot, earning wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles positions to clinch the first point of the match. Senior's Valerie Negin and Bianca Rademacher cruised to a 6-0 win at the top doubles spot, before junior Ana Paula Martinez and freshman Philippa Roy posted an identical 6-0 victory on the No. 3 doubles court to give the Jays a 1-0 lead.
With her win at the top doubles spot today, Negin recorded the 65th doubles win of her Bluejay career, moving into a tie for second with Katie Chiu on Creighton's all-time career doubles wins list.
Seton Hall regrouped and responded early on in singles play with straight set wins at the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6 singles positions to take a 3-1 lead. Tamsin Hart picked up a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Roy at the No. 4 singles spot, moments before Arabella Moen captured a 6-2, 6-3 straight sets win over Alem Cote on the No. 6 singles court to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead. Imogen Brooker then delivered a 6-4, 6-4 win on the No. 3 singles court to open up a 3-1 advantage for Seton Hall.
Creighton, however, would use a 6-2, 2-6, 6-0 three-set win at the top singles spot from Rademacher and a 7-6 (7-2), 6-0 straight sets win on the No. 5 singles court from junior Annika Elvestrom to level the contest at 3-3.
The entire match came down to a tight battle on the No. 2 singles court. After dropping the first set, 6-4, Negin battled back and forced a tiebreaker in set two, before Seton Hall's Paige Wise rallied off seven straight points to clinch the match for the Pirates.
Thursday's match marked the final collegiate match for three Bluejays, Bianca Rademacher, Valerie Negin and Siri Kongara.
"Great careers for Valerie and Bianca," added Lilly. "There aren't too many players I would want on te final court than Val, but she just couldn't find her game in the bigger moments today as she has done so many times. We will miss Siri as well and wish she could have played her final season for us."
The trio has combined for 238 total wins with Negin finishing her career with 125 career wins, ranking tied for fifth on Creighton's all-time career wins list. Among her 125 career wins, Negin ranks tied for second all-time with 65 career doubles wins and is tied for 10th with 60 career singles wins. Rademacher has also compiled 76 total wins in her Bluejay career, while Kongara has recorded 37 wins over the last three seasons.
The Bluejays closed out the season with an 11-8 overall record, while the Pirates improved to 12-11 on the year and advanced to the Friday's quarterfinals match against top-seeded UConn.
"This was a tough way to go down," Head Coach Tom Lilly stated. "Credit Seton Hall for playing well in singles and earning the win. This match was somewhat typical of our season, a little up and down. We played some strong doubles but then were too tight and didn't handle the BIG EAST Tournament pressure will."
Creighton started Thursday's match out on the right foot, earning wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles positions to clinch the first point of the match. Senior's Valerie Negin and Bianca Rademacher cruised to a 6-0 win at the top doubles spot, before junior Ana Paula Martinez and freshman Philippa Roy posted an identical 6-0 victory on the No. 3 doubles court to give the Jays a 1-0 lead.
With her win at the top doubles spot today, Negin recorded the 65th doubles win of her Bluejay career, moving into a tie for second with Katie Chiu on Creighton's all-time career doubles wins list.
Seton Hall regrouped and responded early on in singles play with straight set wins at the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6 singles positions to take a 3-1 lead. Tamsin Hart picked up a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Roy at the No. 4 singles spot, moments before Arabella Moen captured a 6-2, 6-3 straight sets win over Alem Cote on the No. 6 singles court to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead. Imogen Brooker then delivered a 6-4, 6-4 win on the No. 3 singles court to open up a 3-1 advantage for Seton Hall.
Creighton, however, would use a 6-2, 2-6, 6-0 three-set win at the top singles spot from Rademacher and a 7-6 (7-2), 6-0 straight sets win on the No. 5 singles court from junior Annika Elvestrom to level the contest at 3-3.
The entire match came down to a tight battle on the No. 2 singles court. After dropping the first set, 6-4, Negin battled back and forced a tiebreaker in set two, before Seton Hall's Paige Wise rallied off seven straight points to clinch the match for the Pirates.
Thursday's match marked the final collegiate match for three Bluejays, Bianca Rademacher, Valerie Negin and Siri Kongara.
"Great careers for Valerie and Bianca," added Lilly. "There aren't too many players I would want on te final court than Val, but she just couldn't find her game in the bigger moments today as she has done so many times. We will miss Siri as well and wish she could have played her final season for us."
The trio has combined for 238 total wins with Negin finishing her career with 125 career wins, ranking tied for fifth on Creighton's all-time career wins list. Among her 125 career wins, Negin ranks tied for second all-time with 65 career doubles wins and is tied for 10th with 60 career singles wins. Rademacher has also compiled 76 total wins in her Bluejay career, while Kongara has recorded 37 wins over the last three seasons.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Tennis
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/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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