CINCINNATTI, Ohio / CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University women's tennis team, picked up its first win of the season on Friday night in the second half of a doubleheader that saw the Colonels take on Cincinnatti and Northern Kentucky.

The Colonels (1-2, 0-0 ASUN) dropped match one of the day against the Bearcats, but bounced back with a comfortable 6-1 win over the Norse that night.

MATCH ONE - EKU 0, UC 7

The Bearcats grabbed the doubles point to start the match off with wins on courts two and three. The team of Masha Fedenko and Anastasiia Cherniakova led 5-2 on court one before the match was called early.

In singles play, the Bearcats took all six games to secure the match, 7-0. The Colonels put up a fight as Izem Elif Olcer and Cherniakova took their matches to a tiebreak in the first set on their courts while Sasha Parkhomenko was able to grab a win in the second set on her court.

DOUBLES
1. Zeynep Erman and Rozalia Gruszczynska (UC) vs. Anastasiia Cherniakova and Masha Fedenko (EKU) 2-5, unfinished
2. Sakurako Watanabe and Morgan Pyrz (UC) def. Zhansaya Bakytzhan and Marilou Cote (EKU) 6-3
3. Gabrielle Guenther and Callie Flanagan (UC) def. Izem Elif Olcer and Sasha Parkhomenko (EKU), 6-1

SINGLES
1. Zeynep Erman (UC) def. Masha Fedenko (EKU) 6-2, 6-2
2. Rozalia Gruszczynska (UC) def. Sasha Parkhomenko (EKU) 6-0, 3-6, 6-1
3. Gabrielle Guenther (UC) def. Marilou Cote (EKU) 7-6 (4-0), 6-2
4. Milica Popovski (UC) def. Zhansaya Bakytzhan (EKU) 6-3, 6-4
5. Sakurako Watanabe (UC) def. Izem Elif Olcer (EKU) 6-2, 6-4
6. Callie Flanagan (UC) def. Anastasiia Cherniakova (EKU) 7-6 (2-0), 6-2

MATCH TWO - EKU 6, NKU 1

The Colonels faced a unique situation against the Norse. NKU had only five players available, giving the Colonels a win by default in one match in both singles and doubles play. Needing only one victory in two matches, Fedenko and Cherniakova delivered a swift 6-0 win on court one to secure the doubles point for the Colonels.

Similarly, the Colonels were automatically awarded the win on court six due to the Norse not being able to field a player, giving EKU a 2-0 lead in the match. The second singles win came from Elif Olcer on court five with a dominant 6-2, 6-0 win.

Zhansaya Bakytzhan delivered the match-securing 4-0 point on court three, following suit with a win in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4. Cherniakova and Marilou Cote tacked on two extra points for good measure to give the Colonels the 6-1 win. Cherniakova steadily pulled away on court four for two 6-4 victories. Cote, meanwhile on court two, roared back from a first set loss to win set two 6-0 and secured the win in set three, 6-4.

DOUBLES
1. Anastasiia Cherniakova and Masha Fedenko (EKU) def. Mariajose Hernandez and Catharina Cardoso (NKU) 6-0
2. Ashlee Fisk and Darya Gneydina (NKU) def. Zhansaya Bakytzhan and Marilou Cote (EKU) 7-5
3. Izem Elif Olcer and Sasha Parkhomenko (EKU) win by default (no player)

SINGLES
1. Ashlee Fisk (NKU) def. Masha Fedenko (EKU) 6-4, 6-1
2. Marilou Cote (EKU) def. Darya Gneydina (NKU) 1-6, 6-0, 6-4
3. Zhansaya Bakytzhan (EKU) def. Catharina Cardoso (NKU) 6-1, 6-4
4. Anastasiia Cherniakova (EKU) def. Mariajose Hernandez (NKU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Izem Elif Olcer (EKU) def. Didi Steenhuis (NKU) 6-2, 6-0
6. Mariia Triska (EKU) win by default (no player)

UP NEXT

The Colonels return to Richmond for the first home matches of the season with a doubleheader on Jan. 19. First, the squad takes on UNC Greensboro at noon before facing off against Cumberlands at 6 p.m.

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