CHARLESTON, Ill. – The 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Champion Southeast Missouri women's tennis team (14-4, 7-0 OVC) concluded the regular-season with a perfect 7-0 mark in league play Saturday after they beat Eastern Illinois (4-13, 1-6 OVC), 5-2, at the Darling Courts.
After securing the 2021 OVC Regular-Season title, its first in program history, on Friday in Edwardsville, Illinois, SEMO compiled its program-record seventh OVC win of the campaign to finish with a perfect league mark.
The Redhawks concluded the regular-season on a 10-match win streak heading into next weekend's 2021 OVC Tennis Championships. SEMO will compete as the top seed at the Championships held April 24-25 at the Wesselman Tennis Center in Evansville, Indiana, and face the fourth seed Saturday, April 24 at 2 p.m., CT.
SEMO grabbed the doubles point for the 10th consecutive match to open its regular-season finale.
After dropping the match at no. 2, the Redhawks rattled off wins at the third and first slots.
Daniela Hlacikova and
Teona Velkoska defeated Christine Gouws and Addison Brown, 6-1, before
Romana Tarajova and
Kseniya Zonova bested Lauren Ellis and Elizaveta Bukraba-Ulanova, 6-2.
Hlacikova and Velkoska concluded the 2021 OVC slate with a mark of 4-2 (7-2 overall).
With the victory, Tarajova and Zonova secured their 10th win in 2021 as a team and finished with a perfect 6-0 mark in league play.
When the competition moved to singles, SEMO extended its advantage in the dual to 3-0 with wins at the fifth and fourth lineup spots.
Vivian Lai won her 10th consecutive match to finish OVC play with a 7-0 record. Lai defeated Brown, 6-2, 6-0, to improve to 14-3 in 2021.
Lai and Hlacikova lead the Redhawks with a team-high 14 wins in 2021.
Ksenia Shikanova then defeated Brittany Steven, 6-3, 6-3, for her sixth-straight win. Shikanova finished league play with a mark of 6-1 (11-4 in 2021).
Rachel Papavasilopoulos put EIU on the board with a win over Tarajova, 6-3, 6-2, at the top singles slot.
Zonova then secured the dual victory with a 6-4, 6-4 decision on Gouws at third singles.
Bukraba-Ulanova beat Hlacikova, 6-4, 7-5, at no. 2 before Velkoska concluded the SEMO victory with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Ellis at the final singles position.
The win was Velkoska's first OVC win in 2021.
The Redhawks will next head to Evansville, Indiana, to compete at the 2021 OVC Tennis Championships as the top seed April 24-25 at the Wesselman Tennis Center. SEMO will face the fourth seed Saturday, April 24 at 2 p.m., CT.
