TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati women's tennis team battled past DePaul for a 5-2 win on Senior Day inside Western Athletic Club on Saturday.
"It was quite an effort by our team today," head coach Eric Toth said. "It was far from easy. DePaul is a program that is always playing for a conference championship at the end of the season because they know how to win big matches. We have often come up short this season in matches of this quality so I am glad our girls were rewarded with the win today."
Cincinnati improves to 7-12 overall on the season.
Sophomore Callie Flanagan and redshirt junior Cassie McLay cruised to a dominant doubles win at the top position before DePaul responded with victories on courts two and three to take the initial point.
Cincinnati earned a point on court six due to no player that evened the court at one. Redshirt Maria Santilli and Flanagan extend the margin to 3-1 with straight set wins on their respective courts. Santilli secured 12 of 14 points scored for a 6-1, 6-1 win on court three before Flanagan took court five, 6-4, 6-4.
After a dropped first set, McLay claimed the second set and battled to a third-set tiebreaker win on court two to clinch the match for the Bearcats, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6). Niehaus also picked up a tiebreaker win in the third set to add the Bearcats' fifth point.
Cincinnati closes out the regular season with a pair of road matches against Oral Roberts and Tulsa next weekend.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati women's tennis, please visit GoBEARCATS.com and follow @GoBearcatsWTEN on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
RESULTS
Cincinnati 5, DePaul 2
April 1, 2023 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Western Athletic Club
Doubles
1. Callie Flanagan / Cassie McLay (CIN) def. Lenka Antonijevic / Eleanor Nobbs (DEP), 6-0
2. Yuliya Kizelbasheva / Maddie Yergler (DEP) def. Katie Ferguson / Kelli Niehaus (CIN), 6-3
3. Valentina Martin / Hannah Smith (DEP) def. Sofia Bruno / Elizabeth Pendergast (CIN), 6-4
ORDER OF FINISH: 1,3,2
Singles
1. Yuliya Kizelbasheva (DEP) def. Elizabeth Pendergast (CIN), 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
2. Cassie McLay (CIN) def. Hannah Smith (DEP), 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6)
3. Maria Santilli (CIN) def. Lenka Antonijevic (DEP), 6-1, 6-1
4. Kelli Niehaus (CIN) def. Valentina Martin (DEP), 6-1, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4)
5. Callie Flanagan (CIN) def. Maddie Yergler (DEP), 6-4, 6-4
6. Katie Ferguson (CIN) (win by defaul)
ORDER OF FINISH: 6,3,5,1,2,4
"It was quite an effort by our team today," head coach Eric Toth said. "It was far from easy. DePaul is a program that is always playing for a conference championship at the end of the season because they know how to win big matches. We have often come up short this season in matches of this quality so I am glad our girls were rewarded with the win today."
Cincinnati improves to 7-12 overall on the season.
Sophomore Callie Flanagan and redshirt junior Cassie McLay cruised to a dominant doubles win at the top position before DePaul responded with victories on courts two and three to take the initial point.
Cincinnati earned a point on court six due to no player that evened the court at one. Redshirt Maria Santilli and Flanagan extend the margin to 3-1 with straight set wins on their respective courts. Santilli secured 12 of 14 points scored for a 6-1, 6-1 win on court three before Flanagan took court five, 6-4, 6-4.
After a dropped first set, McLay claimed the second set and battled to a third-set tiebreaker win on court two to clinch the match for the Bearcats, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6). Niehaus also picked up a tiebreaker win in the third set to add the Bearcats' fifth point.
Cincinnati closes out the regular season with a pair of road matches against Oral Roberts and Tulsa next weekend.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati women's tennis, please visit GoBEARCATS.com and follow @GoBearcatsWTEN on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
RESULTS
Cincinnati 5, DePaul 2
April 1, 2023 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Western Athletic Club
Doubles
1. Callie Flanagan / Cassie McLay (CIN) def. Lenka Antonijevic / Eleanor Nobbs (DEP), 6-0
2. Yuliya Kizelbasheva / Maddie Yergler (DEP) def. Katie Ferguson / Kelli Niehaus (CIN), 6-3
3. Valentina Martin / Hannah Smith (DEP) def. Sofia Bruno / Elizabeth Pendergast (CIN), 6-4
ORDER OF FINISH: 1,3,2
Singles
1. Yuliya Kizelbasheva (DEP) def. Elizabeth Pendergast (CIN), 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
2. Cassie McLay (CIN) def. Hannah Smith (DEP), 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6)
3. Maria Santilli (CIN) def. Lenka Antonijevic (DEP), 6-1, 6-1
4. Kelli Niehaus (CIN) def. Valentina Martin (DEP), 6-1, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4)
5. Callie Flanagan (CIN) def. Maddie Yergler (DEP), 6-4, 6-4
6. Katie Ferguson (CIN) (win by defaul)
ORDER OF FINISH: 6,3,5,1,2,4