KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's tennis team returned to Kalamazoo to claim a victory on their home courts, as the Broncos defeated the Detroit Titans 5-2 at West Hills Athletic Club on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Broncos improve to 2-2 on the season. They will face the 35th-ranked Lady Vols of Tennessee tomorrow at 1 p.m.
Olivia Myers and Tracy Kuhle each went 2-0 on the day, with Myers claiming her third straight win at the No. 2 singles position and helping to clinch the doubles point for the Broncos after teaming with Barbare Eristavi for a win at the No. 2 doubles spot. Kuhle teamed with Ella Perinovic to notch the first doubles win of the day for the Broncos and was also instrumental in claiming the team win, defeating Nynke Van Der Goot in the No. 5 singles match to put WMU ahead 3-0 in the team match.
Kuhle and Perinovic fired things up in the doubles session by defeating the pairing of Anna Davydova and Viktoria Laskutova 6-2 in the No. 3 match, and Myers and Eristavi wrapped the session with a 6-2 win over Nino Sujashvili and Irina Slizovskaya in the No. 2 doubles match. Sophomore Meika Ashby made it a 2-0 advantage in the first completed singles match of the day, cruising past Sasha Nionova 6-2, 6-3 in the No. 1 match to put the Broncos ahead. Kuhle held on for a 7-5 set win against Van Der Goot in the No. 5 singles match to make it 3-0, and Yuriko Ono clinched the match win for the Broncos with a straight-sets win over Laskutova at No. 6 singles. Myers closed out the scoring for the Broncos with a hard-fought win over Slizovskaya, winning a first set tiebreaker and taking a 6-4 decision in the second set to win.
Western Michigan 5, Detroit Titans 2
Singles competition
1. Meika Ashby (WMU) def. Sasha Nionova (UDM) 6-2, 6-3
2. Olivia Myers (WMU) def. Irina Slizovskaya (UDM) 7-6, 6-4
3. Valeryia Kulikovskay (UDM) def. Ella Perinovic (WMU) 1-6, 7-6, 6-2
4. Anna Davydova (UDM) def. Barbare Eristavi (WMU) 6-7, 6-4, 11-9
5. Tracy Kuhle (WMU) def. Nynke Van Der Goot (UDM) 6-2, 7-5
6. Yuriko Ono (WMU) def. Viktoria Laskutova (UDM) 6-2, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Meika Ashby/Caroline Aleck (WMU) vs. Sasha Nionova/Valeryia Kulikovskay (UDM) 3-4, unfinished
2. Olivia Myers/Barbare Eristavi (WMU) def. Nino Sujashvili/Irina Slizovskaya (UDM) 6-2
3. Tracy Kuhle/Ella Perinovic (WMU) def. Anna Davydova/Viktoria Laskutova (UDM) 6-2
Match Notes: Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (1,5,6,3,2,4)
