Ball State University
Northern Illinois University
Women's Tennis Stumbles in Second Half of Weekend Slate
March 30, 2025 | Women's Tennis
DEKALB, Ill. — Playing short-handed for the second-consecutive match, Ball State women's tennis was unable to take down Northern Illinois Sunday afternoon in the Mid-American Conference road contest. With their 5-2 victory, the Huskies advanced to 18-4 (4-1 MAC), while the Cardinals dipped to 8-7 (2-2 MAC) with the loss.
The first of Ball State's two points of the afternoon came in doubles play. The red and white fell at No. 3 doubles, but rallied in tightly contested matches on the top two courts to secure the opening point. Chloe Brown and Alana Bristow prevailed at first doubles and won 7-5, while Ball State's No. 2 pairing of Sarah Shabaz and Isabel Tanjuatco earned its win via a tiebreak.
By defeating the Huskies in doubles, the Cardinals lengthened their streak of success in securing the opening score. Ball State has now won the doubles point in each of its first five MAC matches.
The Cardinals earned their second point on the top singles court, where Elena Malykh logged a straight-set victory. Malykh notched her third win at No. 1 singles against a MAC opponent this season by defeating the Huskies for the second time in 2025.
Due to injuries for Ball State's, the Cardinals were unable to fill the No. 6 spot, which handed Northern Illinois an automatic first point. The Huskies tacked on four additional points to their total in singles play by securing wins on courts two through five. No. 4 singles, where Bristow represented the red and white, was the most tightly contested match of the afternoon as the contest advanced to three sets before Northern Illinois ultimately earned the point.
Ball State now approaches a two-match road trip next weekend as the squad pushes through its MAC schedule. The Cardinals are set to take on Western Michigan on Friday, April 4, and Miami (Ohio) on Sunday, April 6.
Doubles
No. 1: Alana Bristow/Chloe Brown (Ball State) def. Maria Dzemeshkevich/Nataly Miroslavova Ninova (Northern Illinois), 7-5
No. 2: Sarah Shabaz/Isabel Tanjuatco (Ball State) def. Isabella Righi/Lucia Yecora (Northern Illinois), 7-6(7)
No. 3: Reagan Welch/Jenna Horne (Northern Illinois) def. Ella Hazelbaker/Elena Malykh (Ball State), 6-3
Singles
No. 1: Elena Malykh (Ball State) def. Maria Dzemeshkevich (Northern Illinois), 6-3, 6-4
No. 2: Irmak Budak (Northern Illinois) def. Jemima Williams-Phillips (Ball State), 6-2, 6-2
No. 3: Lucia Yecora (Northern Illinois) def. Isabel Tanjuatco (Ball State), 6-3, 6-1
No. 4: Nataly Miroslavova Ninova (Northern Illinois) def. Alana Bristow (Ball State), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
No. 5: Jenna Horne (Northern Illinois) def. Ella Hazelbaker (Ball State), 6-2, 6-2
No. 6: Forfeit (Northern Illinois point)
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Players Mentioned
