NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Southeast Missouri dropped a 4-2 decision to Eastern Illinois in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Friday morning.
 
EIU pulled ahead early, winning the doubles point with victories at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions. Isabella Krupa and Oleksandra Doroshenko (No. 1) fell behind, 5-1, early but made a strong recovery before dropping the match, 6-3. Mila Majtan and Ana Canahuate-Torres fell at the No. 3 spot by a score of 6-2. Kseniya Zonova and Anais Emelie were up, 5-4, but did not complete their match.
 
The Redhawks battled back in singles action. Southeast held a 2-1 lead after posting back-to-back wins at the No. 2 and No. 4 positions, respectively. Doroshenko (No. 2) took control and never trailed before winning her match, 6-1, 6-1. Zonova took down her opponent, 6-2, 6-3. The Panthers then won the next three matches to get by the Redhawks. Majtan (No. 5), Annisa Warasanti (No. 3) and Krupa (No. 1) dropped their matches in straight sets.

Southeast ended its season at 13-8 overall. The Redhawks 13 wins tie for second-most in a season in school history and are the most victories in a season since 1993. Doroshenko, crowned this year's OVC Freshman of the Year, finished with 16 singles wins. That total ties for fifth-most in a single season, as she is the first Redhawk to win 15 or more matches in a season since 2007.