
Photo by: Justin Kreutzian
Martinez’s Three-Set Victory Lifts Women’s Tennis to 4-3 Win at Drake
2/6/2026 10:47:00 PM | Women's Tennis
DES MOINES, Iowa – All leveled at 3-3, senior Ana Paula Martinez picked up a 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 victory to lift the Creighton women's tennis team to a 4-3 win over Drake on Friday night at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center in Des Moines, Iowa.
With the win the Bluejays improved to 2-2 on the year, while the Bulldogs dropped to 0-4 overall.
"This was a crazy match," said head coach Tom Lilly. "Both teams fought hard, and it could have gone either way. I was proud of our girls who have been dealing with a lot lately and credit them for not giving up in matches."
Creighton got off to a strong start, claiming the doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles positions. Sophomore Sophie Schwartz and Martinez teamed up for a 6-2 victory on the No. 1 doubles court, while freshmen Teresa Tran and Mithila Dixit clinched the doubled point with an identical 6-2 win on the No. 3 court.
Creighton and Drake went back-and-forth throughout singles play, as the match leveled out at 3-3, before Martinez clinched the dual with a three-set win on the No. 2 court.
Drake opened singles play with a 6-0, 6-3 win on the No. 4 singles court by Jana Ruzic to even the match at 1-1, before Creighton's Annika Elvestrom answered with a 7-5, 6-3 straight sets win to regain a 2-1 advantage for the Bluejays.
Drake's Shiori Takeda followed with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumph on the No. 3 court, moments before sophomore Alem Cote rallied to give the Jays a 3-2 lead with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win at the No. 6 singles spot.
Leading 3-2, Drake's Maja Dodik tied the match at 3-3 with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 win over Schwartz at the top singles position, setting up a dramatic finish.
All tied up, Martinez captured a 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 three-set win at the No. 2 singles spot to clinch the overall dual.
Creighton returns to the courts on Saturday afternoon for a battle with Kansas City at 1:00 p.m. in Des Moines.
With the win the Bluejays improved to 2-2 on the year, while the Bulldogs dropped to 0-4 overall.
"This was a crazy match," said head coach Tom Lilly. "Both teams fought hard, and it could have gone either way. I was proud of our girls who have been dealing with a lot lately and credit them for not giving up in matches."
Creighton got off to a strong start, claiming the doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles positions. Sophomore Sophie Schwartz and Martinez teamed up for a 6-2 victory on the No. 1 doubles court, while freshmen Teresa Tran and Mithila Dixit clinched the doubled point with an identical 6-2 win on the No. 3 court.
Creighton and Drake went back-and-forth throughout singles play, as the match leveled out at 3-3, before Martinez clinched the dual with a three-set win on the No. 2 court.
Drake opened singles play with a 6-0, 6-3 win on the No. 4 singles court by Jana Ruzic to even the match at 1-1, before Creighton's Annika Elvestrom answered with a 7-5, 6-3 straight sets win to regain a 2-1 advantage for the Bluejays.
Drake's Shiori Takeda followed with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumph on the No. 3 court, moments before sophomore Alem Cote rallied to give the Jays a 3-2 lead with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win at the No. 6 singles spot.
Leading 3-2, Drake's Maja Dodik tied the match at 3-3 with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 win over Schwartz at the top singles position, setting up a dramatic finish.
All tied up, Martinez captured a 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 three-set win at the No. 2 singles spot to clinch the overall dual.
Creighton returns to the courts on Saturday afternoon for a battle with Kansas City at 1:00 p.m. in Des Moines.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Players Mentioned
Creighton Men's Tennis Postmatch vs. Air Force, 1/30/26
Saturday, January 31
Creighton Men's Tennis Final Point and Celebration vs. Xavier, 4/19/25
Saturday, April 19
Creighton Men's Tennis Postgame vs. North Dakota, 3/30/25
Sunday, March 30
Creighton Women's Tennis Postgame vs. North Dakota, 3/29/25
Sunday, March 30


















