McLean County Times

The Illinois State women's tennis team is set to compete in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Individual Tennis Championships in Chicago this weekend. Hosted by UIC, the event will feature athletes from all eight MVC schools at XS Tennis Village, a facility with 27 courts including indoor and outdoor surfaces. The competition will run from Friday to Sunday, beginning each day at 9 am.

The Redbirds enter the tournament following a successful performance at their home Redbird Invitational, where they secured eleven singles victories and eight doubles wins. Elena Jankulovska was a standout player, claiming both the No. 6 singles championship and the doubles title alongside Nuria Sanz. Sanz also has previous success at the MVC Individual Championship, having won it in 2023.

Bradley University's team is highlighted by Madi Rogers and Compassion Tsai, who led their squad to eight doubles wins and five singles victories last weekend. Missouri State showed strong results at the University of Central Arkansas with seven singles wins, spearheaded by Billur Gonlusen.

UNI's Panthers return to MVC play after participating in the Gopher Invite hosted by the University of Minnesota. Freshman Andjela Raznatovic was among those leading UNI's efforts with two singles victories.

Murray State made an impressive showing at the UCA Fall Invitational with Sophomore Valeria Chaikovskaia achieving a perfect 6-0 record for her matches over the weekend.

Valparaiso University saw three members of its squad claim individual titles during last weekend's Redbird Invitational. Belmont faced tough competition in their invitational but were unable to secure any match wins against North Alabama and Arkansas State.

UIC had notable performances at last week's Redbird Invitational as well, with Nia Cooper winning a championship at No. 7 singles among other strong showings.

Drake's Jessica Popiol led her team through an undefeated streak over six matches during their participation in the Gopher Invite.

Following this weekend's championships, Illinois State will prepare for further challenges as they head to Columbus, Ohio for ITA Regionals hosted by Ohio State University starting October 10th.

For more updates on Illinois State women's tennis activities, fans are encouraged to visit GoRedbirds.com or follow them on social media platforms such as "X," Facebook, and Instagram.