YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – After playing five consecutive matches on the road, the Eastern Michigan University tennis team returned to the friendly confines of the Chippewa Club in Ypsilanti Saturday, March 9, where the Eagles celebrated Senior Day with a 6-1 victory over the University of Findlay. The Eagles (6-6), who celebrated the contributions of Linda Eloundou (Yaounde, Cameroon/Augustine Meyou/New Mexico Military Institute) and Andrea Quiroz (Lima, Peru/La Molina 1278/Alcorn State) ahead of the match, rallied from dropping the doubles point to winning all six singles matches over the Oilers (6-5), the No. 22 team in the latest ITA Collegiate Tennis/NCAA Division II rankings.
  
Quoting Kucera
"It was a great day to honor our seniors and compete for them," Head Coach Ryan Kucera said following the victory. "Findlay is a great doubles team. I thought our doubles play was solid; we just need to stay more aggressive as sets go on. We responded well in singles, nobody panicked when they made pushes, and we just focused on doing what we needed to do. I thought collectively we improved our point finishing, which was awesome to see. It was great to sweep singles for the first time this year and get back in the win column. We're excited to keep building on these positives going into conference play."

Notes
›› Prior to its final non-conference match of the season, the program honored its two seniors - Linda Eloundou and Andrea Quiroz - with an on-court ceremony before play began.
›› Eastern improved to 6-6 overall while Findlay fell to 6-5.
›› Findlay entered the match as the No. 22 team in the most recent ITA Tennis/NCAA Division II rankings.
›› The Eagles bounced back from five consecutive losses on the road to claim victory at home, where Eastern is now 6-0.
›› Eastern swept all played singles matches for the second time this year and the first time when taking all six singles points. The previous instance came Jan. 28 at home against Ferris State University when EMU won four singles matches with two going unfinished after the Eagles had secured the team victory.
›› The first two singles matches won came in straight sets from EMU seniors with freshman Ksyusha Saenko (Voronezh, Russia/Gymnasium 2) winning the third point. The remaining three matches went to a third set.
 
How It Happened
The visitors came out on top in the doubles matches as they took wins at No. 1 and No. 2 to claim the opening point. Eloundou and Quiroz moved up to No. 1 for the first time where they fell, 6-2. After that, the team of Sabina Brichackova (Cheb, Czech Republic/Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava) and Saenko claimed a 6-4 win at No. 3 to even things out. But, at No. 2, the team of Vidisha Reddy (Hyderabad, India/Villa Marie/Edinboro) and Daniella Shved (Holon, Israel/Ort Holon) battled to the end before falling, 7-6(6).
 
Moving into singles play, the Eagles quickly evened the score as Quiroz swept her way to a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 2. It marked the sixth time this year she has held her opponent to three or fewer points won and the first time she has blanked her foe in both sets. Quiroz' opponent, Valentina Salek, is currently ranked No. 50 in the latest ITA/NCAA Division II singles rankings.
 
Eastern moved into the team lead with its second senior, Eloundou, closing out her straight-set victory at No. 4 singles, 6-4, 6-3, to make it 2-1. Saenko followed with her 7-6(4), 6-1 win at No. 3 singles to make it 3-1 and leaving the hosts won win from a team victory. The clinching point was not quick to come, however, as Shved needed a third set to down Anamarija Kovacevic, the No. 40-ranked player in NCAA Division II, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. With the team win in hand, all eyes turned to the final two matches where Brichackova was victorious at No. 5 and Reddy at No. 6. Brichackova posted a score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 with Reddy winning, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-2.
 
Up Next
With their non-conference slate complete, the Eagles are set to open Mid-American Conference play March 17 when they travel to Oxford, Ohio, to take on Miami University. The first serve for the Eagles and RedHawks at the Miami Tennis Courts is set for 12 p.m.
 
Follow Along
For all things EMU Tennis, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMUEaglesTennis on X (formerly Twitter) and EMU_Tennis on Instagram.
 
Eastern Michigan 6, [D2 #22] Findlay 1
March 9 • Chippewa Club • Ypsilanti, Mich.
SINGLES
#1: Daniella Shved (EM) def. [D2 #40] Anamarija Kovacevic, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1
#2: Andrea Quiroz (EM) def. [D2 #50] Valentina Salek, 6-0, 6-0
#3: Ksyusha Saenko (EM) def. Lidia Laskova, 7-6(4), 6-1
#4: Linda Eloundou (EM) def. Emily Hadler, 6-4, 6-3
#5: Sabina Brichackova (EM) def. Zuzanna Krygier, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
#6: Vidisha Reddy (EM) def. Charlie Croteau, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 3, 1, 5, 6
 
DOUBLES
#1: Elina Salek/Valentina Salek (F) def. Linda Eloundou/Andrea Quiroz, 6-2
#2: Emily Hadler/Anamarija Kovacevic (F) def. Vidisha Reddy/Daniella Shved, 7-6(6)
#3: Sabina Brichackova/Ksyusha Saenko (EM) def. Charlie Croteau/Zuzanna Krygier, 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
Rankings listed are ITA Tennis/NCAA Division II rankings (March 7)