DePaul University Athletics
Saturday, April 23
Cayce, S.C.
12:00 P.M. CT
DePaul University
4
vs
2
St. John's
Eleanor Nobbs Propels DePaul to BIG EAST Title Match
4/23/2022 6:48:00 PM | WOMEN'S TENNIS
Freshman clinches 4-2 upset of No. 1 seed St. John's in Saturday semifinal
CAYCE, S.C. – DePaul's best hope to keep its season alive rested with a plucky freshman from Bath, England.
You know, stiff upper lip and all that.
Well, Eleanor Nobbs certainly displayed her native stout fortitude in the face of adversity with a smashing victory Saturday that catapulted the fourth-seeded Blue Demons past No. 1 St. John's 4-2 and launched her team into Sunday's BIG EAST title match against No. 3 Xavier (13-9).
The championship showdown will be shown on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi on FloSports. First serve is at 1 p.m. (ET). It's a rematch of last year's title tilt won by Xavier.
Coach Marisa Arce's team had jumped out to a 3-1 lead Saturday after Nobbs and Valentina Martin along with Yuliya Kizelbasheva and Lenka Antonijevic started out securing the doubles point.
After St. John's tied the match 1-1 winning at No. 5 singles, Kizelbasheva defeated Mouna Bouzgarrou 6-1, 6-4 at No. 1 and Marija Jovicic swept her opponent Lalita Devarakonda 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2.
St. John's, which came into Saturday having won 13 in a row, was mounting a comeback with a win at No. 3.
Both Nobbs' match at No. 4 and Martin's showdown at No. 6 were tied 4-4 in the third set.
That's when Nobbs surged for a 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 triumph over Yesica de Lucas and sent DePaul (9-8) to its eighth consecutive BIG EAST title match.
Not only had St. John's brought a 13-match winning streak to the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center on Saturday, but the Red Storm had outscored those 13 opponents by a combined score of 72-7.
None of that seemed to faze Arce's players as they wiped away any thoughts of a 5-2 setback on April 10 at St. John's.
Downright plucky.
BIG EAST Semifinals
DePaul 4, St. John's 2
April 23, 2022
Cayce, S.C.
(Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center)
Singles
1. Yuliya Kizelbasheva (DEP) def. Mouna Bouzgarrou (SJU) 6-1, 6-4
2. Marija Jovicic (DEP) def. Lalita Devarakonda (SJU) 6-2, 6-2
3. Jayden Nielsen (SJU) def. Lenka Antonijevic (DEP) 6-1, 6-0
4. Eleanor Nobbs (DEP) def. Yesica de Lucas (SJU) 7-5, 1-6, 6-4
5. Willa Bay Breunich (SJU) def. Maddie Yergler (DEP) 7-5, 6-0
6. Emilie Haakansson (SJU) vs. Valentina Martin (DEP) 6-3, 3-6, 4-5, unfinished
Doubles
1. Lenka Antonijevic/Yuliya Kizelbasheva (DEP) def. Yesica de Lucas/Jayden Nielsen (SJU) 7-5
2. Emilie Haakansson/Mouna Bouzgarrou (SJU) def. Hristina Djokic/Marija Jovicic (DEP) 6-1
3. Valentina Martin/Eleanor Nobbs (DEP) def. Lalita Devarakonda/Camila Ordonez (SJU) 6-4
Match Notes:
DePaul 9-8
St. John's 18-6
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,2,1,5,4)
You know, stiff upper lip and all that.
Well, Eleanor Nobbs certainly displayed her native stout fortitude in the face of adversity with a smashing victory Saturday that catapulted the fourth-seeded Blue Demons past No. 1 St. John's 4-2 and launched her team into Sunday's BIG EAST title match against No. 3 Xavier (13-9).
The championship showdown will be shown on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi on FloSports. First serve is at 1 p.m. (ET). It's a rematch of last year's title tilt won by Xavier.
Coach Marisa Arce's team had jumped out to a 3-1 lead Saturday after Nobbs and Valentina Martin along with Yuliya Kizelbasheva and Lenka Antonijevic started out securing the doubles point.
After St. John's tied the match 1-1 winning at No. 5 singles, Kizelbasheva defeated Mouna Bouzgarrou 6-1, 6-4 at No. 1 and Marija Jovicic swept her opponent Lalita Devarakonda 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2.
St. John's, which came into Saturday having won 13 in a row, was mounting a comeback with a win at No. 3.
Both Nobbs' match at No. 4 and Martin's showdown at No. 6 were tied 4-4 in the third set.
That's when Nobbs surged for a 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 triumph over Yesica de Lucas and sent DePaul (9-8) to its eighth consecutive BIG EAST title match.
Not only had St. John's brought a 13-match winning streak to the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center on Saturday, but the Red Storm had outscored those 13 opponents by a combined score of 72-7.
None of that seemed to faze Arce's players as they wiped away any thoughts of a 5-2 setback on April 10 at St. John's.
Downright plucky.
BIG EAST Semifinals
DePaul 4, St. John's 2
April 23, 2022
Cayce, S.C.
(Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center)
Singles
1. Yuliya Kizelbasheva (DEP) def. Mouna Bouzgarrou (SJU) 6-1, 6-4
2. Marija Jovicic (DEP) def. Lalita Devarakonda (SJU) 6-2, 6-2
3. Jayden Nielsen (SJU) def. Lenka Antonijevic (DEP) 6-1, 6-0
4. Eleanor Nobbs (DEP) def. Yesica de Lucas (SJU) 7-5, 1-6, 6-4
5. Willa Bay Breunich (SJU) def. Maddie Yergler (DEP) 7-5, 6-0
6. Emilie Haakansson (SJU) vs. Valentina Martin (DEP) 6-3, 3-6, 4-5, unfinished
Doubles
1. Lenka Antonijevic/Yuliya Kizelbasheva (DEP) def. Yesica de Lucas/Jayden Nielsen (SJU) 7-5
2. Emilie Haakansson/Mouna Bouzgarrou (SJU) def. Hristina Djokic/Marija Jovicic (DEP) 6-1
3. Valentina Martin/Eleanor Nobbs (DEP) def. Lalita Devarakonda/Camila Ordonez (SJU) 6-4
Match Notes:
DePaul 9-8
St. John's 18-6
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,2,1,5,4)
Players Mentioned
/ WOMEN'S TENNIS
/ WOMEN'S TENNIS
/ WOMEN'S TENNIS
/ WOMEN'S TENNIS
/ WOMEN'S TENNIS
/ WOMEN'S TENNIS
/ WOMEN'S TENNIS
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