The Bradley tennis team wrapped up their fall individual season on Oct. 7 and 8 at the MVC Championships. The team brought home an impressive three third-place finishes in their nine flights. Senior Maria Bezmenova and junior Kirstin Hailey both got third individually while sophomores Anna Belogliadova and Alexandra Hildreth took home third in doubles.
Bezmenova won two of her three matches at singles flight No. 3 with a 6-4, 6-4 finish in the quarterfinals and a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 finish in the third place match. In her battle for third place, Bezmenova played a familiar opponent in UIC’s Camille Belberka. Bezmenova and Belberka faced off one week before the tournament at Illinois State, where Belberka came out the victor.
“I know she plays really consistent, so my goal was to be consistent as well,” Bezmenova said. “She was a really good opponent but I knew I could beat her.”
Bezmenova mentioned how important this tournament was to her, as it was her first fall season playing in the No. 3 flight. Until this season, Bezmenova played at No. 4 so to have success at No. 3 was meaningful to her.
Head coach Matt Tyler praised Bezmenova, who has improved tremendously throughout all four years of her career.
“Four years of experience makes a huge difference. She knows what she’s up against now and has really risen to that occasion,” Tyler said. “[I] couldn’t be more proud of her.”
Hailey took over No. 4 this season, and she also finished third with wins of 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals and 6-1, 6-4 in the third place match. The duo of Belogliadova and Hildreth was the lone Braves doubles team to win a match, as they also finished third by beating out the No. 3 duo from Valparaiso 8-5.
Tyler thinks the team had a very successful fall season. In particular, he prioritized the Braves’ ability to improve each tournament.
“Making sure our team environment is conducive to growth, both individual and team growth,” Tyler said. “I think we’ve done a really good job at that the past two months.”
Having an environment that allows players to grow as individuals and as team players makes for great success. Players like freshman Andra Sirbu prove that. Sirbu played outstanding this fall and has competed for No. 1 flights in multiple tournaments this year, finishing as high as fifth at the Redbird Invitational.
Looking forward to the rest of the season, the Braves hope to rake in first place finishes and growth among the team. Bezmenova hopes they can build off this fall season and lead each other into a successful spring.
“I’m really happy with my team’s hard work this year,” Bezmenova said. “We don’t have captains, so we support each other, everyone contributes to this team somehow and some way. I plan on supporting each of my teammates, being friendly, motivating and I believe we are going to be successful.”
Their next venture is on Jan. 20 in Fayetteville, Arkansas to take on the University of Arkansas.
