MACOMB, Ill. –The Western Illinois women's tennis team takes a break from League play and preps for Southeastern Conference (SEC) competition in Missouri on April 7.
First serve is set for 4 p.m. on Sunday in Columbia, Mo. Both teams squared off in the Missouri State Invitational this past October as freshman Megan Tagaloa defeated Ally Noback, 7-6 (5), 6-4.The match was initially scheduled as the home opener for both schools on Jan. 19 but was postponed due to impending weather.
LAST TIME OUT: After dropping the first three Summit League matches of the season, the Western Illinois women's tennis team snapped the streak and defeated Omaha 4-3 on Saturday (March 30) afternoon.
The Leathernecks battled back in singles after the Mavericks took the doubles point in dramatic fashion.
Megan Tagaloa evened the match on a 6-2, 6-3 win over Justine Linscott in the No. 6 spot. The Mavericks then defeated Mia Melnizki (No. 1) 6-2, 6-4 and Ana Bjelica (No. 2) 6-3, 6-4 to go up 3-1.
WIU followed the two straight defeats with three consecutive victories. Junior Laura Ballesteros won the battle over Savanna Crowell in the tiebreaker set 10-4. Fellow returner Mary Bjelica evened the match 3-3 after rallying back from a first set loss to win 6-4, 6-4. In the No. 4 flight, Freshman Anouk Maajong clinched the first League victory in dramatic style in 7-6, 10-4, and 7-5.
FRESH FOUR: This season freshmen Anouk Maajong, Mia Melnizki, Camryn Rossa and Megan Tagaloa all suit up for the Purple and Gold for the first time to make their college debuts. All four have already earned their first collegiate victories both in the fall and spring. Tagaloa also was tagged as Summit League Preseason Watch List.
THREE AMIGOS: Laura Ballesteros, Ana Bjelica and Mary Bjelica are the three lone returners from last season. The trio combined for a 7-3 record in League play last season and a 31-11 mark overall.
COACHING SUCCESS: Fourth-year head coach Mirko Bjelica looks to keep the trend of improving each season. Last year, he coached the Leathernecks to a 10-8 overall record and 2-2 mark in Summit League play to earn a bid to the postseason tournament for the first time in four years. Bjelica has added more wins to the program each season and helped snap 34-match conference losing streak.
ITA RECOGNITION: In the classroom last year, women's tennis recorded the highest term grade point averages in the Leatherneck Athletic Department. The team boasted a 3.816 GPA in the spring semester with three student-athletes posting a perfect 4.0 GPA. For their efforts, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association named Western Illinois an all-academic team while individually acknowledging Ballesteros, Ana Bjelica and Mary Bjelica as ITA scholar-athletes.
UP NEXT: Western host a doubleheader between Denver and Dubuque on April 13 with first serve set for 10:30 a.m. against the Pioneers and 3 p.m. versus the Spartans.
