The Eastern Michigan University tennis team traveled to Amherst, Massachusetts, on Sunday, March 15, to face off against the University of Massachusetts in what was a milestone meeting for the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The matchup, held inside the Bay Road Indoor Tennis Center, marked the first-ever meeting between the Eagles and the Minutewomen. As UMass is the newest member of the MAC, this road trip represented a fresh challenge for Eastern, though the outcome was not in the Eagles' favor as they fell 6-1. The loss brings the Eagles' season record to 9-7 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
A tough start in doubles play
The contest began with a strong push from the hosts during the doubles portion of the event, which ultimately set the tone for the afternoon. UMass jumped out to an early 1-0 lead by securing the doubles point with clinical efficiency. On court No. 1, the duo of Kseniia Saenko and Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya fell 6-1 to UMass's Ella Faessler and Renata Farima.
A similar result occurred at the No. 3 doubles position, where Iva Daneva and Regina Mendez Carreño were defeated 6-1 by Madara Markevica and Martina Pavissich. Because the Minutewomen clinched the doubles point by winning the first and third matches, the contest at No. 2 doubles—featuring Matilde Parreira and Sabrina Tolstova against Amanda de Oliveira and Amelia Tye—was left unfinished with Eastern trailing 4-1 at the time of stoppage.
Tolstova shines amidst singles struggles
Transitioning into singles play, the Eagles looked to claw back into the match, but the Minutewomen continued to build their momentum. The overall team lead grew rapidly to 3-0 as UMass claimed victories at the No. 2 and No. 4 singles spots. Pehal Kharadkar struggled at the No. 2 position, falling in straight sets (6-0, 6-0) to Amelia Tye. Shortly after, at No. 4, Matilde Parreira was defeated by Fiona Ao with a score of 6-1, 6-0.
However, the Eagles found a significant spark at the No. 3 singles position thanks to a gritty performance by Sabrina Tolstova. Tolstova, a native of Odesa, Ukraine, faced off against Martina Pavissich in what would be the competitive highlight of the day for EMU. The first set was a back-and-forth battle that required a tiebreaker to decide. Tolstova showed immense composure under pressure, taking the tiebreaker 7-2 to win the set 7-6. With the momentum firmly on her side, she dominated the second set 6-1, securing the team's only point of the afternoon.
Closing out the match
Despite the morale boost from Tolstova's win, the Minutewomen proved too strong across the rest of the lineup. At the top flight, Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya engaged in a grueling three-set match against Ella Faessler. After losing the first set 6-4, Hukmasabiyya fought back to take the second 6-4, but she ultimately fell in the deciding third set 6-2.
The final matches of the day also went to the hosts. Regina Mendez Carreño fell at No. 5 singles to Madara Markevica (6-1, 6-0), and Kseniia Saenko was defeated at No. 6 by Renata Farima (6-4, 6-2). The official order of finish for the singles matches was recorded as 2, 4, 3, 1, 5, and finally 6. This defeat follows a string of recent challenges for the team, including a close 4-3 loss to Northern Illinois University on March 13 and a non-conference loss to No. 72 University of North Florida earlier in the month.
Looking ahead in MAC play
The loss moves the Minutewomen to an impressive 10-3 overall and a perfect 2-0 in the MAC. While the road trip to Massachusetts was difficult, two more pivotal MAC matches await Eastern next week as they seek their first conference win.
First, the Eagles will travel to Perrysburg, Ohio, on Friday, March 20, for a 1 p.m. showdown against Bowling Green State University. Following that road match, the team will return to Ypsilanti to host the University of Toledo at the Chippewa Club on Sunday, March 22, at 1 p.m.
