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NORMAL, Ill. – Eastern Illinois women's tennis opened the 2018 spring season losing a tightly contested match to Illinois State, 4-3, on Saturday evening.

Illinois State won the doubles point taking two of the three matches.  Rachel Papavasilopoulous and Karla Contreras won their match at No. 2 doubles by a score of 6-4.  After ISU won the No. 3 doubles match, the doubles point was decided at No. 1.  Veronika Golanova and Jelena Vujicic of ISU beat Stella Cliffe and Grace Summers in a tie-breaker to take the match 7-6.

Cliffe would score the Panthers first point defeating Vujicic at No.2 singles picking up a 6-4, 6-2 win.  Grace Summers would score the Panthers second point with a three-set win at No. 3 singles.  Summers defeated Vanther by a score of 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-2.

???????Papavasilopoulos then evened the match for the Panthers at 3-3 with a win at No.1 singles over Golanova.  Papavasilpoulus won in three-sets 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.  The freshman has now posted a 10-2 record in singles action as a Panther.

The match was finally decided at No. 5 singles as Ivon Mihaleva defeated Srishti Slaria in three-sets winning the final set and overall team match in a tie-breaker.  Mihaleva won 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4).

EIU returns to action on Sunday afternoon playing Illinois at 4 p.m. at the Atkins Tennis Center in Champaign. 
 
Illinois State 4, Eastern Illinois 3

Singles
1 – Rachel Papavasilopoulos  (EIU) def. Veronika Golanova  - 4-6. 7-5, 7-5 
2 – Stella Cliffe (EIU) def. Jelena Vujicic  - 6-4, 6-2                             
3 – Grace Summers (EIU) def. E. Vanther - 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-2 
4 – Jana Kostkova def. Karla Contreras (EIU) - 4-6, 1-6                    
5 – Ivon Mihaleva def. Srishti Slaria (EIU) - 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-7 (4) 
6 – Laura Fitzgerald def. Claire Martin (EIU) -  L 4-6, 3-6  

Doubles
1 –Golanova/Vujicic def. Cliffe/Summers (EIU) -  7-6 (1)
2 –Papavasilopoulous/Contreras (EIU) def. Mihaleva/Kustkova -  6-4
3 –Fitzgerald/Vanthier def. Slaria/Martin (EIU) -  1-6