{"id":488611,"date":"2026-02-18T20:33:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T20:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/488611\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T20:33:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T20:33:09","slug":"tennis-returns-home-friday-to-face-bradley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/488611\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennis Returns Home Friday to Face Bradley"},"content":{"rendered":"

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — With its five-match road swing complete, the Eastern Michigan University tennis team returns to home action this week for the first time in three weeks as the Eagles are set to host the Braves of Bradley University Friday, Feb. 20, at 1\u00a0p.m. inside the Chippewa Club in Ypsilanti. The Eagles (8-3) are off to the fourth-best start in program history and will look to stay hot following a weekend road sweep when the Braves (2-4) come to town.
\n\u00a0
\nFIRST SERVES
\n\u00bb The Eagles are 8-3 on the year and used a weekend sweep to halt a three-match skid. Eastern posted wins of 4-3 at DePaul (Feb. 13) and 5-2 at Butler (Feb. 14) last weekend.
\n\u00bb Matilde Parreira<\/a> and Sabrina Tolstova<\/a> clinched the doubles point in both matches over the week at the No. 2 position to earn MAC Doubles Team of the Week honors.
\n\u00bb Eastern is in its 49th varsity season in 2026 and, following its weekend split, is now 553-470 all-time. The 4-2 win at St. Francis (Pa.), Jan. 24, stands as the 550th victory in program history.
\n\u00bb With its 5-2 win at Butler, Eastern improved to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in road matches on Valentine’s Day.
\n\u00bb The eight wins secured through 11 matches are tied for the fourth-highest total in program history with only the 1983-84 (10 wins), 2002-03 (10), and 1982-83 (nine) teams ahead of them.
\n\u00bb A win over Bradley would keep the Eagles tied for the fourth-best start in program history behind the 11-win 2002-03 team and the 10-win teams from 1982-83 and 1983-84.
\n\u00bb Under Ryan Kucera<\/a>, the Eagles have posted a 23-2 record at home, including an 11-0 mark in his debut season (2024), a 10-2 mark last year, and a 2-0 start in 2026. In the six seasons played ahead of Kucera’s arrival, the Eagles were 21-30 at home.
\n\u00bb Eastern has been strong in doubles play under Ryan Kucera<\/a> as they have won 61.4 percent (35-of-57) of the doubles points since the start of the 2024 season. The Eagles were 13-of-23 in 2024 before improving to 14-of-22 last year and have won 8-of-11 this year.
\n\u00bb In the three seasons Ryan Kucera<\/a> has led the program, Eastern holds a record of 28-7 when it wins the doubles point and has won 10 consecutive matches when securing the point. Conversely, EMU is 4-18 when it does not win the point.
\n\u00bb The 2025-26 Eastern Michigan roster features eight players from eight countries and four continents. Included on the roster are four returning Eagles in Iva Daneva<\/a>, Lara Diaz Zayas<\/a>, Regina Mendez Carre\u00f1o, and Kseniia Saenko<\/a>, and four newcomers in Pehal Kharadkar<\/a>, Matilde Parreira<\/a>, Sabrina Tolstova<\/a>, and Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya<\/a>.
\n\u00bb With the four freshmen included, the EMU roster boasts players from eight countries, including Argentina, India, Indonesia, Mexico, North Macedonia, Portugal, Russia, and Ukraine. All told, the Eagles are represented on four continents, including North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.
\n\u00bb Ryan Kucera<\/a> returns for his third season as the head coach and will look to guide the team to the MAC Tournament for the second time. He has guided the team to back-to-back 12-win seasons for the first time since the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons when Tim Gray led the team to consecutive 16-win campaigns.
\n\u00bb Ryan Kucera<\/a> ranks sixth all-time in wins by a head coach in program history with 32. The wins at DePaul (No. 31) and Butler (No. 32) pushed him ahead of Allison Tookes, who had 31 from 1991-95.
\n\u00a0
\nLAST TIME OUT: WEEKEND SWEEP
\nEastern snapped a three-match losing streak with a weekend road sweep as the Eagles posted a 4-3 win at DePaul (Feb. 13) before taking a 5-2 decision at Butler (Feb. 14). Matilde Parreira<\/a> and Sabrina Tolstova<\/a> combined to clinch the doubles point in both matches from the No. 2 position after the No. 3 squad of Iva Daneva<\/a> and Regina Mendez Carre\u00f1o won their matches both days. With 1-0 leads in each match, the Eagles would go on to claim wins in 7-of-12 singles matches, including two each from Tolstova and Mendez Carre\u00f1o, to secure the road wins.
\n\u00a0
\nGRABBING WINS
\nHead Coach Ryan Kucera<\/a> moved up in the all-time wins category at EMU with his team’s two wins over the weekend. The win at DePaul (Feb. 13) was his 31st, which tied him with Allison Tookes (1991-95) for sixth before the win at Butler, his 32nd, moved him into sixth by himself. Next up on the chart is Tim Gray, who won 42 (2002-05) to occupy the fifth position.
\n\u00a0
\nFEELING HONORED \u2022 MAC AWARD
\nMatilde Parreira<\/a> and Sabrina Tolstova<\/a> were named the MAC Doubles Team of the Week, Feb. 16, following their 2-0 weekend. They won both of their matches at No. 2 doubles on the road with both wins securing the doubles point as well. They opened the weekend with a 6-4 win at DePaul before claiming a 6-3 win at Butler one day later. The duo secured the clinching point for the third and fourth times, respectively, grabbing half of the team’s eight double points this dual season. They lead the team in doubles wins with 11 on the year, including seven in dual play. Bother players also had a hand in clinching team wins as Tolstova won the fourth point in singles at DePaul while Parreira tallied the winning point at Butler.
\n\u00a0
\nSTRAIGHT TO THE (DOUBLES) POINT
\nEastern has captured the doubles point in 8-of-11 matches (72.7 percent) played this season and has secured the point in 61.4 percent of matches played under Ryan Kucera<\/a> (35-of-57) since the start of the 2024 season. Ahead of his arrival, the Eagles captured the point just four times (26.7 percent) in the 2022-23 season before winning the point 56.5 percent in 2024 (13-of-23) and 60.9 percent last year (14-of-23).
\n\u00a0
\nDOUBLES TALES
\nSince Ryan Kucera<\/a> took over ahead of the 2023-24 season, doubles have been a key component to the team’s success. In the 57 matches played, the Eagles have won the doubles point 35 times (61.4 percent) which has translated into a 28-7 record in the team match and wins in 10 consecutive team matches when winning the doubles point. Conversely, the Eagles are 4-18 when they don’t win the doubles point.
\n\u00a0
\nWHEN TWO IS ONE
\nThrough the match at Butler (Feb. 14), the Eagles have captured the doubles point 8-of-11 times this year with the team of Matilde Parreira<\/a> and Sabrina Tolstova<\/a> adding the point-clinching win five times. The freshmen duo has clinched the point four times from the No. 2 position, including both matches over the weekend, while adding one at the No. 1 spot.
\n\u00a0
\nROOKIES ROCKING
\nThe four freshmen added to the roster this year have made immediate impacts for the Eagles as they lead the team in singles wins and combined wins through the match played at Butler (Feb. 14). Matilde Parreira<\/a> leads the team in singles wins (12) and combined wins (23) while sitting tied for the lead in doubles victories with playing partner Sabrina Tolstova<\/a> (11). Tolstova has also reached 20 combined wins in her rookie season as she has added nine singles wins. Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya<\/a> and Pehel Kharadkar each have secured 10 singles wins as well with Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya closing in on 20 combined wins as she has tallied 17 total this year.
\n\u00a0
\nSTRONG START
\nWith its 4-0 loss at Michigan State, Feb. 1, Eastern saw its perfect start to the season come to an end as the Eagles now stand 6-1. The 6-0 start tied for the best start in program history as the 2002-03 squad also opened its season at 6-0. Despite the loss in their seventh match, the 2002-03 team would rebound with an eight-match winning streak to open the year 14-1 on its way to reaching the finals of the MAC Tournament.
\n\u00a0
\nStanding 8-3 through 11 matches this year, the 2025-26 squad ranks among the best in program history as the eight victories tied for the fourth-best start with six other teams with the most recent being the 2017-18 squad. The record was set by the 1983-84 and 2002-03 teams with 10 wins while the 1982-83 squad won nine.
\n\u00a0
\nROAD WINS
\nThe loss at Michigan State (Feb. 1) also was the first of the year on the road for EMU, which halted their four-match winning streak away from home. The 4-0 start tied for the third-best road showing in program history with only the 2002-03 and 1983-84 teams starting better as both opened at 6-0. Eastern has rebounded since then with two wins for a 6-2 road record in 2025-26.
\n\u00a0
\nHOME PROTECTION
\nSince taking over the program ahead of the 2023-24 season, the Eagles hold a 23-2 record at home under Ryan Kucera<\/a>, a mark that included the Eagles going a perfect 11-0 at home in 2024, 10-2 last year, and 2-0 in 2026 following their 4-3 defeat of Oakland (Jan. 31). In the previous six seasons played ahead of Kucera’s arrival, the Eagles were 21-30, including a 3-4 mark in the 2022-23 season. The win totals also rank as the highest (11) and second-highest (10) in single-season history for the program.
\n\u00a0
\nWHAT IS LOVE?
\nEastern and Butler played on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14), marking consecutive years Eastern played on the ‘Day of Love’ following its 4-3 road win at Cleveland State in 2025. The first instance came in 1998 in a 6-3 home loss to Michigan State before the Eagles scored a 6-1 home win in 2004 over UIC. From there, EMU dropped three consecutive Feb. 14 dates, including a 7-0 score to Colorado State at Nebraska in 2009, 5-2 at Nebraska in 2014, and 5-2 at Pittsburgh in 2015. The Eagles are now 3-3 on Feb. 14 following their win at Butler.
\n\u00a0
\nKNOW THE FOE: BRADLEY
\nThe Braves, members of the Missouri Valley Conference, hold a 2-4 record in 2026 with a 1-4 mark in matches decided by one point. Bradley, who lost, 4-3, at SIU Edwardsville and 4-3 at home to St. Thomas one match prior, are 1-1 on the road this year and will play at Oakland, Feb. 19, before meeting with the Eagles. The Braves and Eagles have faced one common opponent in Butler, who Eastern defeated, 5-2, last week and Bradley lost to, 4-3, in its season-opening match.
\n\u00a0
\nIN THE SERIES: BRADLEY
\nEastern leads, 5-1, in its series with Bradley, but lost the most recent meeting to see its five-match winning streak snapped against the Braves. BU took a 4-1 win on its home court, Feb. 13, 2021, after the teams had not met since 1994, an 8-1 EMU victory on the road. Eastern is 1-0 all-time when hosting Bradley thanks to its 6-3 win, April 7, 1984, the only time the teams met in Ypsilanti. The series began in 1982 with a 6-0 EMU win in a match played in Chicago at UIC.
\n\u00a0
\nTHE LAST TIME VS. BRAVES
\nBradley won the last meeting (Feb. 13, 2021), 4-1, in Peoria, Ill., as the hosts captured the doubles point and three singles matches for the win. In doubles play, the Eagles won at No. 2 and lost at No. 3 before falling at No. 1, 7-6(4), to fall behind 1-0. After seeing its deficit expand to 3-0, Luisa Pelayo captured a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 3 singles to halt the run, but the hosts secured a win at No. 4 to clinch the match victory.
\n\u00a0
\nON THE HORIZON
\nEastern will return to the road for its final two non-conference matches of the season when they head to Florida for their annual Spring Break trip for a pair of matches. First, the Eagles will travel to DeLand, Fla., to take on Stetson University in a 10 a.m. contest, March 2, before closing the trip March 4 in Jacksonville, Fla., with a 10 a.m. meeting with the University of North Florida.
\n\u00a0
\nFOLLOW US
\nFor all things EMU Tennis, be sure to check out the team’s social media accounts, including EMUEaglesTennis on X (formerly Twitter) and EMU_Tennis on Instagram.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — With its five-match road swing complete, the Eastern Michigan University tennis team returns to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":488612,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[565],"tags":[64,63,85,747],"class_list":["post-488611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=488611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/488612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=488611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=488611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=488611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}