RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University women's tennis team pushes its win streak to three with a 4-1 win over UNC Greensboro and 4-2 win over Cumberlands (Ky.) on Sunday at the Greg Adams Tennis Center.
 
EKU (3-2) opens the 2024-25 spring schedule with a 2-0 showing at home after starting the season with three consecutive matches away from Richmond.  
 
Junior Marilou Cote had a perfect 4-0 showing on the day picking up wins from the No. 2 spot in doubles play and No. 2 and No. 3 courts in singles action.  The Levis, Quebec native had the match-clinching win over UNCG in three sets and defeated her UC opposition in straight, 6-0, 6-1 sets.
 
Junior Mariia Triska picked up her first doubles win of the season in the win over Cumberlands with a 6-1 showing on court No. 3 paired with teammate Sasha Parhomenko.
 
Match One – EKU 4, UNC Greenboro 1
 
EKU and UNC Greensboro played a contested doubles match, the Colonels coming up with the decisive point on court No. 2 of Cote and Ceylin Ipek by a 7-6 [7-4] victory in tiebreak.  
 
In singles, Parkhomenko rolled to victory with a 6-3, 6-2 straight set win over Alexandra Dodashev to give the Colonels a 2-0 lead over the Spartans.  Sophomore Zhansaya Bakytzhan would pad EKU's lead to 3-0 with 7-5, 6-2 win on court No. 4 before UNCG got on the board with a win on court No. 1 from Kentuckian Olivia Gallagher.
 
The Colonels found their match clincher on court No. 3 as Cote battled back with two emphatic 6-0 sets in the second and third after dropping the first in tiebreak to seal the 4-1 home opening victory for EKU.
 
Doubles
1. Anastasiia Cherniakova and Masha Fedenko (EKU) def. Alexandra Dodashev and Olivia Gallagher (UNCG) 6-2
2. Marilou Cote and Ceylin Ipek (EKU) def. Sydney Bly and Raegan Mitchell (UNCG) 7-6 [7-4]
3. Elizabeth Birkevold and Lauren Thomson (UNCG) def. Izem Elif Olcer and Sasha Parkhomenko (EKU) 6-4
 
Order of finish: 1,3,2
 
Singles
1. Olivia Gallagher (UNCG) def. Masha Fedenko (EKU) 6-7 [5-7], 6-3, 6-2
2. Sasha Parkhomenko (EKU) def. Alexandra Dodashev (UNCG) 6-3, 6-2
3. Marilou Cote (EKU) def. Raegan Mitchell (UNCG) 6-7 [1-7], 6-0, 6-0
4. Zhansaya Bakytzhan (EKU) def. Lauren Thomson (UNCG) 7-6, 6-2
5. Anastasiia Cherniakova (EKU) vs. Sydney Bly (UNCG) 6-7 [7-8], unf.
6. Izem Elif Olcer (EKU) vs. Elizabeth Birkevold (UNCG) 3-6, unf.
 
Order of finish: 2,4,1,3
 
Match Two – EKU 4, Cumberlands 2
 
The Colonels would continue their winning ways in pairs with 6-0 and 6-1 victories on court Nos. 2 and 3. EKU's has claimed the doubles point in three of its last four matches with its wins on Sunday.
 
In singles, EKU quickly pushed its lead to 3-0 over Cumberlands with two straight set wins by Cote (6-0, 6-1) and Anastas Cherniakova (6-4, 6-1) on court Nos. 2 and 4.  However, Cumberlands extended the match with back-to-back wins on court Nos. 1 and 3 to cut the deficit to just one point, 3-2.  
 
The Colonels found their match clinching win by Izem Elif Olcer on court No. 5 in a 6-3, 6-1 decision.  The sixth singles matchup featuring Triska would go on unfinished despite a leading score of 7-5, 1-0 from the junior out of Ukraine.
 
Doubles
1. Anastasiia Cherniakova and Masha Fedenko (EKU) vs. Mahiro Hara and Liu YuFang (UC) 3-4, unf.
2. Zhansaya Bakytzhan and Marilou Cote (EKU) def. Marina Nagai and Rion Yanuma (UC) 6-0
3. Sasha Parkhomenko and Mariia Triska (EKU) def. Bryndia Rosa and Victoria Zarate (UC) 6-1
 
Order of finish: 2,3
 
Singles
1. Marina Nagai (UC) def. Masha Fedenko (EKU) 7-5, 2-6, 6-1
2. Marilou Cote (EKU) def. Mahiro Hara (UC) 6-0, 6-1
3. Victoria Zarate (UC) def. Zhansaya Bakytzhan (EKU) 6-2, 6-2
4. Anastasiia Cherniakova (EKU) def. Bryndis Rosa (UC) 6-4, 6-1
5. Izem Elif Olcer (EKU) def. Rion Yanuma (UC) 6-3, 6-1
6. Mariia Triska (EKU) vs. Liu YuFang (UC) 7-5, 1-0, unf.
 
Order of finish: 2,4,3,1,5
 
Next Up
EKU returns to action on Jan. 24 playing in an unconventional pair of matches, the Colonels will host Lindsey Wilson College at the Greg Adams Tennis Center at 9 a.m. ET and then will hit the road to face Marshall at 4 p.m.