Racers Defeat Flames 4-3 in MVC Opener

Saturday, March 22

Chicago, IL

12 p.m.

Murray State

UIC

3/24/2025 10:53:00 AM | Women's Tennis

MSU Returns Sunday to Host Valparaiso

By: Charlie Williams

Murray State Tennis (8-6, 1-0 MVC) defeated UIC (8-4, 0-1 MVC) 4-3 on Saturday at the XS Tennis Village in Chicago, Ill.

The highly anticipated matchup between preseason favorites Murray State and UIC ended in a Murray State win, this puts them at 1-0 at the start of MVC play.

The Racers came out strong in doubles, with the duo of Varya Alexeyeva and Paola Campigotto continuing their dominant season with a 6-3 win on court No. 3, improving their record as a pair to 19-2. On court No. 2, Kikawa/Kadowaki fought off three match points but fell 6-4. All eyes then turned to court No. 1, where Chaikovskaia and Melato staged a thrilling comeback, winning in a tiebreak to secure the doubles point for the Racers.

Murray State carried their momentum into singles play, winning four of six first sets. UIC struck first, as Alexeyeva fell 6-3, 6-3 on court No. 2. Freshman, Yuna Kikawa quickly answered, earning a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 4—her sixth victory in the last seven matches—to put The Racers back in front.

On the verge of clinching, Melato and Campigotto each had match points at 5-4 in their second sets, but UIC refused to back down. Meanwhile, Kadowaki nearly forced a third set but ultimately fell 6-3, 7-6 on court No. 3, tying the overall match at 2-2.

Melato responded under pressure with a clutch 7-5, 7-6 win at No. 5, giving MSU a 3-2 lead. However, UIC forced decisive third sets on courts No. 1 and No. 6. At the top spot, UIC's Ushio rallied past Chaikovskaia, 6-7, 6-2, 6-0, setting up a winner-take-all showdown on court No. 6.

With the match on the line, senior Paola Campigotto used her experience to grind out a hard-fought 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 victory, sealing a dramatic 4-3 win for the Racers. The victory marked Murray State's fifth consecutive road win and seventh in their last eight matches.

Murray State will look to keep its momentum rolling as it continues its road stretch next week when The Racers return home to host Valparaiso for their second Missouri Valley Conference match on Sunday, March 30 at the Bennie Purcell Tennis Courts in Murray, Ky.

Results:

#1 Doubles
Mayu Ushio / Dognke Liu [UIC] 6
Valeria Chaikovskaia / Bruna Melato [MSU] 7

#2 Doubles
Edit Cosmo / Camille Belberka [UIC] 6
Yuna Kadowaki / Yu Kikawa [MSU] 4

#3 Doubles
Nia Cooper / Marta Halbersztadt [UIC] 3
Varya Alexeyeva / Paola Campigotto [MSU] 6

#1 Singles
Mayu Ushio [UIC] 6 6 6
Valeria Chaikovskaia [MSU] 7(3) 2 0

#2 Singles
Edit Cosmo [UIC] 6 6
Varya Alexeyeva [MSU] 3 3

#3 Singles
Camille Belberka [UIC] 6 7(4)
Yuna Kadowaki [MSU] 3 6

#4 Singles
Marta Halbersztadt [UIC] 3 4
Yu Kikawa [MSU] 6 6

#5 Singles
Dognke Liu [UIC] 5 6
Bruna Melato [MSU] 7 7(4)

#6 Singles
Nia Cooper [UIC] 3 7(6) 3
Paola Campigotto [MSU] 6 6 6