Oct. 21, 2012

ROCKFORD, Ill. - In the final day of competition for the fall season, the Northern Illinois women's tennis team earned a trio of top three finishes at the ITA Regionals at Boylan Tennis Center Sunday afternoon.

Mary Malkin (Tel Aviv, Israel/Alliance) took the best finish as she placed second in the Charlie draw of singles play after falling to Emily Myers (Michigan State) 6-3, 6-3. In the Bravo flight, teammates Cristina Alvarez (Zaragoza, Spain/Cristorey and Sagrado Corazon De Jesus) and Stephanie McDonald (Harare, Zimbabwe/St. Anne's Diocesan College) battled for third place and it was Alvarez who won 6-4, 4-6, (9), leaving McDonald with a fourth place finish. In the Alpha draw, Haley Dekkinga (Allegan, Mich./Allegan) beat Kristin Kurer (Milwaukee) 6-2, 3-6, (9) to claim third place.

The final match of the day for NIU was in the Delta flight and featured another teammate match-up as Ilse Pacheco (San Luis Potosí, Mexico/Alma Patria) defeated Sarah Boyd (Aurora, Ill./Alpha Omega Academy) 6-0, 6-0 to take fifth and sixth place, respectively.

In three additional matches played on the day, NIU tallied two more wins. Pacheco took down Chicago State's Grinvalde 6-2, 6-0 and Maria Rozo (Bogota, Columbia/Gimnasio Femenino) topped Chicago State's Noel 2-6, 6-2, (4). Boyd fell to Chicago State's Lloyd 6-0, 6-1.

For the weekend overall, the Huskies ended the fall on a high note. In Champaign, Ill., Nelle Youel (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central) earned a win at the USTA/ITA Midwest Regional for NIU for the first time in over a decade. Meanwhile in Rockford, the Huskies totaled a doubles title from Malkin and McDonald, three top three finishes, two top four, a top five and two top six.

"This was a great day because we played so hard, and it was a lot of fun," said NIU Head Coach Ryun Ferrell. "This was our last event of the fall and we needed to finish on a high note. We battled great and looked very fresh for a Sunday. Now we need to take a step back and see what we need to work on to get ready for the spring."