Women's Tennis Outlasts Omaha in 5-2 Thriller

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton women's tennis team picked up its second consecutive win on Friday as the Bluejays notched a 5-2 victory over crosstown opponent Omaha inside the Hanscom Tennis Courts.

The Bluejays improved to 3-1 on the season, while also snapping Omaha's four-match win streak to move them to 4-1 overall.

The Mavericks took the doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions. Creighton's Valerie Negin and Malvika Shukla combined for a 6-0 win at the No. 2 doubles, but Omaha won the deciding tiebreaker 8-6 at the top slot to clinch the first overall point.

Creighton responded with a pair of straight-set victories to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Senior Meredith Benson claimed the Bluejays first point with a 6-4, 6-1 win at the No. 5 singles slot, while junior Kate Krueger claimed a 6-0, 6-4 win at the No. 1 singles position.

Negin posted the Bluejays third straight-sets win with a 6-3, 6-3 at the No. 3 singles position to give Creighton a 3-1 edge in the match.

Omaha answered with a three-set win at the No. 6 slots, before sophomore Malvika Shukla clinched the match for the Bluejays with a three-set win at the No. 4 position. Shukla won the first set, 6-4, before falling 6-2 in the second frame. The Mumbai, India native outlasted her opponent, 6-2 in the deciding set.

Senior Sarah Wilcox closed out the match with a three-set win at the No. 3 slots after the match had already been decided. Wilcox dropped the opening set, 6-4, but responded with a 6-4 win in set two before claimed a 6-2 win in set three.

"It was another great city battle, and we were fortunate to come out on top," said head coach Tom Lilly. "Omaha is well coached and played hard. I am proud of the way our women responded after losing a tight doubles point. We started out great in singles and held on. We will need a quick rest as we play a tough Wichita State team tomorrow. "

Creighton returns to the courts on Saturday afternoon for a neutral site match against Wichita State in Lincoln, Nebraska at 2 p.m.

Omaha vs Creighton (Feb 04, 2022)
Creighton 5, Omaha 2
Feb 04, 2022 at Omaha, Neb. (Hanscom Tennis Courts)

Singles competition

1. Kate Krueger (CU) def. Madison Gallegos (OMAHA) 6-0, 6-4

2. Valerie Negin (CU) def. Rachel Osborn (OMAHA) 6-3, 6-3

3. Sarah Wilcox (CU) def. Ines Absisan (OMAHA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

4. Malvika Shukla (CU) def. Natalie Lorentz (OMAHA) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2

5. Meredith Benson (CU) def. Addison Miller (OMAHA) 6-4, 6-1

6. Keegan VanPelt (OMAHA) def. Allison Wilcox (CU) 0-6, 6-1, 6-3

Doubles competition

1. Madison Gallegos/Ines Absisan (OMAHA) def. Kate Krueger/Sarah Wilcox (CU) 7-6 (8-6)

2. Valerie Negin/Malvika Shukla (CU) def. Natalie Lorentz/Colby Kelley (OMAHA) 6-0

3. Keegan VanPelt/Rachel Osborn (OMAHA) def. Meredith Benson/Gabby O'Connor (CU) 6-3

Match Notes

Omaha 4-1

Creighton 3-1

Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (5,1,2,6,4,3)

T-3:05 A-85

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Meredith Benson

Kate Krueger

Valerie Negin

Gabby O'Connor

Malvika Shukla

Allison Wilcox

Sarah Wilcox