Tennis Opens MAC Play at Miami Sunday

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OXFORD, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University tennis team is set to open Mid-American Conference play this weekend when the Eagles venture to Oxford, Ohio, to face Miami University Sunday, March 17. The Eagles (6-6) and RedHawks (6-7) are slated for a 1 p.m. first serve at the Miami Tennis Courts in the league opener for both teams.
 
FIRST SERVES
» Eastern heads into MAC play following a 6-6 record in non-conference action that concluded Saturday, March 9, with a 6-1 home win over Findlay, the No. 22 team in NCAA Division II.
» With the 6-1 win over Hillsdale, Jan. 27, Ryan Kucera collected his first victory leading EMU after taking over Aug. 9, 2023. The 6-1 win over Cleveland State, Feb. 4, marked the first win over an NCAA Division I foe at EMU for Kucera, who is 6-6 with EMU and 33-44 in his career.
» It has been a tale of two locations this year for the Eagles as they are 6-0 at home and 0-6 on the road.
» Eastern is 25-15 in its first MAC match of the season and 14-6 when playing that match on the road. The Eagles have lost three consecutive MAC openers, including 7-0 at Toledo, March 18, 2023.
» The series with Miami ranks as the third-most played in Eastern history with the team teams having met 49 times previously. Only the series with Western Michigan (58) and Bowling Green (53) have been played more.
» Eastern celebrated Senior Day, March 9, with Linda Eloundou and Andrea Quiroz going out in style as the duo won their singles matches to help the Eagles to a 6-1 team win, which ended a five-match losing skid for Eastern.
» The Eagles swept all six singles matches for the first time this season and swept all singles matches finished for the second time after taking four from Ferris State, Jan. 28, before clinching a 5-0 win.
 
LOOKING BACK: SENIOR DAY
After honoring Linda Eloundou and Andrea Quiroz with a Senior Day ceremony ahead of the dual with Findlay, March 9, the Eagles would drop the doubles point before roaring back to claim all six singles matches and a 6-1 defeat of the Oilers, the No. 22 team in the latest ITA/NCAA Division II rankings. Quiroz got the ball rolling as she blitzed her way to a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 2 over Valentina Salek, the No. 50 player in NCAA Division II, before Eloundou followed with her 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 4. Ksyusha Saenko added a third point to the board for the hosts as she battled back from down 5-2 to win the first set, 7-6(4), before running away with the second set, 6-1. Daniella Shved clinched the team win with her 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 1 over the No. 40-ranked Anamarija Kovacevic with Sabina Brichackova (6-3, 4-6, 6-3) and Vidisha Reddy (6-2, 6-7(6), 6-2) winning at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.
 
TALE OF TWO LOCATIONS
The Eagles are 5-6 this year with a 5-0 record at home and an 0-6 mark on the road. The last time Eastern has won on the road was a 5-2 win at Northern Illinois, April 14, 2023.
 
SCOUTING: MIAMI
The RedHawks enter the weekend with a 6-7 record and are coming off a 6-1 home win over Cleveland State, March 9, on the indoor courts in Hamilton, Ohio. That home dual ended seven consecutive road matches in which Miami was 2-5 with wins over Illinois-Chicago (5-2) and Cincinnati (6-1) with losses at Marshall (6-1), Virginia Tech (4-3), and DePaul (4-3) before the wins, and then two losses in Florida, including at South Florida (4-0) and Florida Gulf Coast (6-1). Heading into the season, the RedHawks were voted to finish second in the MAC with two coaches selecting Miami to win the regular season title and one to claim the MAC Tournament title.
 
IN THE SERIES: EAGLES vs. REDHAWKS
Eastern and Miami have met 49 times previously with the RedHawks holding a 43-6 lead in the all-time series. Miami has won 19 in a row in the series with the Eagles’ last win coming April 2, 2005, in a 5-2 home decision. Eastern also has dropped 10 consecutive matches in Oxford with the last EMU victory coming March 7, 2004, with a 4-3 score.
 
WE MEET AGAIN
The series between Eastern and Miami has been played 49 times previously and stands as the third-longest series in EMU history. The only other opponents the Eagles have played more are Western Michigan (58 times) and Bowling Green (53 times).
 
LIFTING THE LID: CONFERENCE PLAY
When the Eagles and RedHawks meet Sunday, the Eagles will not only look to break into the win column against Miami for the first time in 19 years, they also will try to snap a three-match losing streak in MAC openers. Eastern holds a 25-15 all-time record in its first MAC match of the year and stands 14-6 when that opener comes away from home. Although the Eagles are 1-3 when facing Miami in the MAC opener, it is the first time the two teams have met in the opener since a close 4-3 loss at home, March 24, 2006.
 
BIG IMPROVEMENTS
Four Eagles have already posted improved win totals in singles play over their results from the 2023 season, including Linda Eloundou, who is +13 in wins, and Andrea Quiroz, who is +11. Eloundou is 17-5 this year after posting a 4-9 mark last year while Quiroz sits 14-9 after posting a 3-11 record. Additionally, Vidisha Reddy has improved by three (1-7 to 4-5) while Regina Mendez has improved by two (3-7 to 5-7).
 
AMONG THE LEADERS
Freshman Ksyusha Saenko has provided a large amount of wins for the Eagles in her first collegiate season as her 16 singles wins ranks second on the team (17, Linda Eloundou) while her 25 combined wins ties with Andrea Quiroz for the team lead. Saenko has added nine wins in doubles play, which is second behind Quiroz’ 11 wins.
 
STARTING STRONG
Last year, the Eagles played 15 duals and captured the doubles point four times. Through 11 duals this year, the Eagles have captured the doubles point five times, with all five coming at home.
 
COUNTING HIGHER
A trio of Eagles have captured at least 10 singles wins this season with all three having reached with 20+ combined wins when including doubles victories. Linda Eloundou leads the way with a 16-5 singles record. Freshman Ksyusha Saenko is 15-6 in singles while Andrea Quiroz is 13-9 in singles.
 
AND THE AWARD GOES TO…
Because of their comeback victory, Daniella Shved and Prerna Vichare were selected as the MAC Doubles Team of the Week, the league announced Feb. 6. It was the first award earned by the Eagles this season and the first since Shved and Wendy Zhang earned the doubles award, Feb. 16, 2023.
 
MITTEN MEETINGS
The Eagles will play seven matches against fellow Michigan schools during the 2024 season and are off to a 4-1 start after downing Hillsdale (Jan. 27), 6-1; Ferris State (Jan., 28), 6-1 and 5-0; and Oakland (Feb. 10), 6-1; before dropping a 4-0 decision on the road at Michigan State (Feb. 11). Eastern’s remaining schedule will see a pair of MAC duals against Western Michigan, including April 12 on the road and April 19 at home. Overall, the Eagles hold a record of 98-110 all-time against Michigan schools through the five matches played in 2024.
 
WELCOME ABOARD
Eastern Michigan is guided by Ryan Kucera, who took the reigns as the program’s head coach, Aug. 9. The 11th head coach in EMU history, Kucera came to Ypsilanti after one season leading Milwaukee, in which the Panthers advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 Horizon League Tournament. Prior to that, he spent two seasons at Minnesota State-Mankato where his second season saw the team reach the second round of the conference tournament. Kucera is a graduate of Grand View (Iowa) where he was a student-athlete from 2017-20 after one season at Luther College.
 
PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS
The MAC announced its 2024 coaches preseason poll, Jan. 17, with the Eagles earning 28 points in the voting, tied with Ball State for fourth place. Toledo (47), Miami (38), and Buffalo (35) comprised the top three in the poll with Western Michigan (27), Northern Illinois (14), and Bowling Green (7) ranking sixth, seventh, and eighth, respectively. Toledo (6) and Miami (2) earned the first-place votes with the Rockets (6), RedHawks (1), and Cardinals (1) all earning votes for who will win the 2024 MAC Tournament that will take place in Toledo, Ohio, April 26-27.
 
ON THE HORIZON
Next week, the Eagles will play twice against Ball State University with the teams each hosting the other for a single dual. The action begins Friday, March 22, with the Cardinals coming to Ypsilanti for a 1 p.m. first serve at the Chippewa Club. The two teams will then meet in Muncie, Ind., Sunday, March 24, for a noon first serve. Both matches will count toward the MAC standings.
 
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