Women's Tennis Concludes Regular Season At Home

WIU will honor seniors Maria Bessmertnaya, Courntey Lubbers and Cary Milanes

MACOMB, Ill. – After clinching a spot in the Summit League Tournament, the Western Illinois women's tennis team concludes regular season play at home this Saturday against Quincy. First serve set is for 9 a.m.

SENIOR DAY: The Leathernecks will honor seniors Maria Bessmertnaya, Courtney Lubbers and Cary Milanes on Saturday.

LAST TIME OUT: The Leathernecks were initially scheduled to take on Denver last Saturday, but to due to inclement weather the match was postponed.

ADDING TO THE HARDWARE: Natalia Bravo was named to the preseason Summit League 'Players to Watch' list after posting a 13-10 record in No. 2 singles. The Colombian native was also named Summit League Newcomer of the Year, League Academic Honor Roll and received all-league honors. Recently, Bravo finished the fall season on a strong note by winning two matches at the ITA Central Regionals. She wrapped up the fall slate by putting together a 4-3 record in the No. 1 singles spot, contributing to four wins in No. 1 double plays as well. Bravo moved into the No. 1 spot this season and owns a 9-6 record.

TOURNAMENT BOUND: Western clinched a spot in the Summit League Tournament after defeating South Dakota State and Oral Roberts on the road. This will be the third time in program history the Leathernecks will compete in the Summit League Tournament. Western's last time at the tournament came in 2014, where they dropped a 4-0 decision to Fort Wayne.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP: This season, Courtney Lubbers has led the way for the Leathernecks. She owns a 10-5 record in the No. 2 spot and has contributed to four victories in doubles play in the No. 1 spot. The Wichita, Kan., native went 3-0 in singles play during a three-match stretch (Feb. 16-18) and finished 2-0 during a two-match stretch (March 2-3). Lubbers also owns two match-clinching victories to her resume this year against Missouri State and Oral Roberts.

COACHING SUCCESS: Third-year head coach Mirko Bjelica looks to keep the trend of improving each season. Last year, he coached the Leathernecks to a 9-14 record overall and 3-3 mark in Summit League play. That was their best league record since the 2009-2010 season after finishing 6-13 overall record, and 0-6 in League play the year before.

WINNING POSITIONS: Western has winning records in the No. 1, 2, 5 and 6 singles spots.

FRESH POWER: Both Ana Bjelica and Mary Bjelica have already made a significant impact during their first season as Leathernecks. Ana owns a 9-3 record in the No. 5 spot and has also won in the No. 4 and 6 spot. Mary is a perfect 10-0 in the No. 6 spot and has two wins in the No. 5 spot. She is riding a 12-match win streak.

The freshmen duo has teamed up in doubles to put together three wins.

SCOUTING THE HAWKS: Quincy travels to Macomb with a 4-10 record overall and 0-6 in conference play. The Hawks are coming off a 0-6 loss to Drury at home.

UP NEXT: Following the last regular season match, Western will gear up to compete in the Summit League Championships in Denver next Saturday.

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Players Mentioned

Maria Bessmertnaya: Senior; Akron

Natalia Bravo: 5' 6"; Sophomore; Colegio Bilingue Buckingham

Courtney Lubbers: Senior

Cary Milanes: Senior; Miami Palmetto

Ana Bjelica: Freshman; Homeschooled

Mary Bjelica: Freshman; Homeschooled

Players Mentioned

Maria Bessmertnaya
: Senior; Akron

Natalia Bravo
: 5' 6"; Sophomore; Colegio Bilingue Buckingham

Courtney Lubbers
: Senior

Cary Milanes
: Senior; Miami Palmetto

Ana Bjelica
: Freshman; Homeschooled

Mary Bjelica
: Freshman; Homeschooled