Saturday, April 22
Cayce, S.C.
8:00 A.M.
Creighton University
4
vs
3
#2 DePaul
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
Women’s Tennis Comes From Behind To Upset #2 DePaul, 4-3, Advancing To BIG EAST Championship Match On Sunday
4/22/2023 10:52:00 AM | Women's Tennis
The Bluejays advance to the BIG EAST Finals to face top seeded Xavier on Sunday at 8 a.m.
CAYCE, S.C. – Trailing 3-0 with four singles matches to play, the Creighton women's tennis team captured wins on all four remaining singles court to upset second-seed DePaul, 4-3, in the BIG EAST Championship Semifinals on Saturday morning at the Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center.
The Bluejays advance to the BIG EAST Championship match for the first time in program history and will face top-seed Xavier on Sunday at 8:00 a.m.
With the win, Creighton improves to 17-7 on the year, while DePaul ends their season with a 12-10 overall record.
Down 3-0 with four singles matches to play, the Bluejays rallies with straight set wins at the No. 1 and No.5 single slots, as well as three-set victories at the No. 2 and No. 3 singles position to secure a 4-3 victory.
Junior Bianca Rademacher got the rally started with a 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) victory at the No. 5 singles slot to earn the Bluejays first point of the match. Classmate Malvika Shukla followed closely behind with a 6-4, 6-4 win at the top singles position to cut the deficit down to 3-2.
Sophomore Valerie Negin would then level the match at 3-3 with a three-set victory at the No. 3 singles position. Negin dropped the first set 6-3 but responded with a 6-3 win of her own. To force a. decisive third set. Negin then cruised to a 6-2 victory in the third frame to even the match up at 3-3.
With the match tied at 3-3, it all came down to the No. 2 singles match. There, senior Kate Krueger fell 6-1 in the first set but regrouped and delivered a 6-4 win in set two forcing a winner-take-all third set. In the third and final set, Krueger soared out to a 5-2 lead before DePaul's Eleanor Nobbs rallied to cut the deficit to 5-4. Krueger regrouped once again and clinched the match with a 6-4 victory, sending the Bluejays into the championship match for the first time in program history.
DePaul rallied from behind to take the doubles point with victories at the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles positions. The Bluejays grabbed an early advantage in doubles as sophomore Valerie Negin and freshman Ana Paula Martinez combined for a 6-4 victory at the No. 2 doubles position.
DePaul answered with a 6-3 win on the top doubles court to level the match 1-1 as all the attention drifted over to the No. 3 doubles court. There, DePaul overcame an early deficit to clinch the double point with a 6-4 win, ending senior Kate Krueger's and junior Bianca Rademacher's nine match winning streak in doubles play.
"What a strong come back out women had today," said head coach Tom Lilly."We weren't doing so hot on a few courts after dropping a close doubles point but these girls never quit. I am so proud of the way we competed throughout to get into the finals over a very good Depaul team."
The Bluejays will continue their postseason run on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. when they take on top-seeded Xavier in the BIG EAST Championships Finals on FloSports.
#3 Creighton 4, #2 DePaul 3
Apr 22, 2023 at Cayce, S.C. (Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center)
The Bluejays advance to the BIG EAST Championship match for the first time in program history and will face top-seed Xavier on Sunday at 8:00 a.m.
With the win, Creighton improves to 17-7 on the year, while DePaul ends their season with a 12-10 overall record.
Down 3-0 with four singles matches to play, the Bluejays rallies with straight set wins at the No. 1 and No.5 single slots, as well as three-set victories at the No. 2 and No. 3 singles position to secure a 4-3 victory.
Junior Bianca Rademacher got the rally started with a 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) victory at the No. 5 singles slot to earn the Bluejays first point of the match. Classmate Malvika Shukla followed closely behind with a 6-4, 6-4 win at the top singles position to cut the deficit down to 3-2.
Sophomore Valerie Negin would then level the match at 3-3 with a three-set victory at the No. 3 singles position. Negin dropped the first set 6-3 but responded with a 6-3 win of her own. To force a. decisive third set. Negin then cruised to a 6-2 victory in the third frame to even the match up at 3-3.
With the match tied at 3-3, it all came down to the No. 2 singles match. There, senior Kate Krueger fell 6-1 in the first set but regrouped and delivered a 6-4 win in set two forcing a winner-take-all third set. In the third and final set, Krueger soared out to a 5-2 lead before DePaul's Eleanor Nobbs rallied to cut the deficit to 5-4. Krueger regrouped once again and clinched the match with a 6-4 victory, sending the Bluejays into the championship match for the first time in program history.
DePaul rallied from behind to take the doubles point with victories at the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles positions. The Bluejays grabbed an early advantage in doubles as sophomore Valerie Negin and freshman Ana Paula Martinez combined for a 6-4 victory at the No. 2 doubles position.
DePaul answered with a 6-3 win on the top doubles court to level the match 1-1 as all the attention drifted over to the No. 3 doubles court. There, DePaul overcame an early deficit to clinch the double point with a 6-4 win, ending senior Kate Krueger's and junior Bianca Rademacher's nine match winning streak in doubles play.
"What a strong come back out women had today," said head coach Tom Lilly."We weren't doing so hot on a few courts after dropping a close doubles point but these girls never quit. I am so proud of the way we competed throughout to get into the finals over a very good Depaul team."
The Bluejays will continue their postseason run on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. when they take on top-seeded Xavier in the BIG EAST Championships Finals on FloSports.
#3 Creighton 4, #2 DePaul 3
Apr 22, 2023 at Cayce, S.C. (Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center)
| Singles competition |
| 1. Malvika Shukla (CU) def. Kizelbasheva,Yuliya (DPU) 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2. Kate Krueger (CU) def. Nobbs,Eleanor (DPU) 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 3. Valerie Negin (CU) def. Smith,Hannah (DPU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 |
| 4. Antonijevic,Lenka (DPU) def. Ana Paula Martinez (CU) 6-2, 6-3 |
| 5. Bianca Rademacher (CU) def. Carbone,Greta (DPU) 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) |
| 6. Martin,Valentina (DPU) def. Leanne Kendall (CU) 6-3, 6-2 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Antonijevic,Lenka/Nobbs,Eleanor (DPU) def. Leanne Kendall/Malvika Shukla (CU) 6-3 |
| 2. Ana Paula Martinez/Valerie Negin (CU) def. Carbone,Greta/Smith,Hannah (DPU) 6-4 |
| 3. Kizelbasheva,Yuliya/Yergler,Maddie (DPU) def. Kate Krueger/Bianca Rademacher (CU) 6-4 |
| Match Notes |
| #3 Creighton 17-7 |
| #2 DePaul 12-10 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (4,6,5,1,3,2) |
| T-2:46 |
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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