The Drake women’s tennis team closed its fall season at home this past weekend, Oct. 31 through Nov. 2, hosting the annual Drake Invite and earning 18 total wins.
The Bulldogs conclude the season with a 28-13 record in singles matches and a 13-3 record in doubles play across the fall season. They faced a competitive regional field across three days of singles and doubles play, finishing their fall season on a strong note and building momentum for the spring season ahead.
The weekend also brought added excitement as players competed on the newly resurfaced courts inside the Roger Knapp Tennis Center. Resurfacing a court involves laying a fresh layer of acrylic paint and repairing any cracks or damages. All of this is done to restore the safety, performance and appearance of the court.
Leading up to the weekend, players were in high spirits.
“Everyone is excited because it’s finally our home tournament,” said Elizabete Klavinska, a senior on the team. “It is our first and last, because we don’t have to play a lot in the fall. Everyone’s excited to play. And as we got the new courts just resurfaced, we’re excited to have new teams come here and see the courts.”
For The Bulldogs, playing at home made the final fall tournament especially meaningful. The weekend drew support from classmates, faculty and the men’s tennis team, reflecting the close-knit community that defines Drake athletics.
“Win or lose, the environment is always good,” said freshman Shiori Takeda. “There’s always more feats to take away.”
To open the invite, Jordane Dookie and Jana Ruzic who are sophomores, Klavinska, a senior and Maja Dodik, a graduate student, all earned straight-set victories in singles play. Klavinska and Takeda teamed up for another win in doubles, while Dookie paired with both Ruzic and Dodik for two additional Bulldog victories.
Day two brought more success in singles matches. Takeda earned a three-set win over Eastern Michigan University’s Sabrina Tolstova (4-6, 6-4, 10-6), while Ruzic and Klavinska each claimed victories in individual play. Dookie added another singles win, defeating EMU’s Regina Mendez 6-0, 7-6.
To conclude the weekend, Dodik, Takeda and Ruzic earned three more singles wins. In doubles games, Dodik and Ruzic fought for a win over the University of North Dakota’s Alyssa Giupponi and Alva Norberg, while Dookie and Takeda topped Omaha’s duo of Summer Shannon and Khayli Buckels.
“Super proud of where we are at as we wrap up the fall season,” Drake head coach Calvin Song said in an interview with Drake Athletics. “Each event that we competed in we progressively got better. We took each opportunity to compete at our fullest and couldn’t be more proud. This team is hungry to compete in the Spring, and I can’t wait to see what we can do.”
The Bulldogs will return for their Missouri Valley Conference championship season play in January 2026; the schedule has not yet been announced.
