BY ADAM ROGAN
Drake Women’s Tennis started Missouri Valley Conference play off on the wrong foot last week.
The Bulldogs lost 3-4 to the University of Northern Iowa on April 1 in Cedar Falls.
UNI hadn’t beaten Drake since April 3, 2011, an eight-match losing streak that ended on Saturday.
It started off well for the Bulldogs. They won all three doubles matches, including a narrow 7-5 finish for senior Tess Herder and sophomore Kenya Williams on the first court.
But then they lost in singles, both in three sets.
Junior Mela Jaglarz and freshman Alex Kozlowski lost in two sets each, giving UNI the four points needed for the win.
Sophomore Joely Lomas and junior Summer Brills still battled to victory for Drake’s second and third points.
On the first court, Brills lost the first set but bounced back with a pair of 6-2 set victories. She improved her team-best record to 9-2 with the victory, her fifth straight.
Not far behind is Lomas. The win against UNI — a three-setter that featured two tiebreakers — was her eighth of the season.
She’s only lost twice in 2017. The last time was on March 10.
The Bulldogs’ record is 8-6. They’ve won six consecutive home matches, but are scheduled to face the Wichita State University Shockers on April 8. The Bulldogs haven’t beaten Wichita State in more than a decade, nor has any other Missouri Valley Conference team.
Still, the Shockers aren’t in as good of form as they’ve been in the last few years. They’re only 10-7, their worst record at this point in the season since 2013.
The Bulldogs will also host Missouri State University on April 9.
