DES MOINES, IOWA ? In a season of near misses, the cards finally fell on the right side of the net for the Drake women's tennis team as the Bulldogs downed Illinois at Chicago (UIC), 5-2, on Sunday (March 2) at the Drake Tennis Center.

Freshman Adela Aprodu (Hamilton, Ontario) clinched the match for Drake with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Illinca Cristescu at the No. 2 singles spot.

In doubles, the tandem of Aprodu and junior Kari Sloboth (Omaha, Neb.) accounted for one of the wins with an 8-5 decision against Ulrikke von Ubisch and Grace Gill-Morlis at No. 2, while senior Irina Kalashnikova (Sochi, Russia) and senior Daria Zawislak (Gdansk, Poland) downed the Flames' tandem of Cristescu and Jenna Reisch, 8-6, at the third doubles hole to earn the doubles point.

Junior Veronika Leszayova (Povazska Bystrica, Slovak Republic) finished her weekend at 2-0 in singles play after netting a 6-4, 6-3 decision at No. 1 against Lubica Nadasska.

Sloboth and Zawislak rounded out the winning with victories at the fifth and sixth singles spots. Sloboth bettered Amy Jellish in three sets, 1-6, 7-5, 6-2, while Zawislak collected a 6-3, 6-0 triumph versus Reisch.

The Bulldogs return to the court on Saturday (March 8) as Drake welcomes Gustavus Adolphus and UMKC to the Drake Tennis Center for 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. matches, respectively.

Drake def. UIC, 5-2
Drake Tennis Center ? March 2, 2008
Records: Drake (3-5), UIC (3-4)

Singles:
No. 1 Veronika Leszayova (DU) def. Lubica Nadasska (UIC), 6-4, 6-3
No. 2 Adela Aprodu (DU) def. Ilinca Cristescu (UIC), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
No. 3 Kristen McPhillips (UIC) def. Irina Kalashnikova (DU), 6-4, 6-3
No. 4 Grace Gill-Morlis (UIC) def. Sarah Plowman (DU), 6-2, 6-1
No. 5 Kari Sloboth (DU) def. Amy Jellish (UIC), 1-6, 7-5, 6-2
No. 6 Daria Zawislak (DU) def. Jenna Reisch, 6-3, 6-0

Doubles:
No. 1 McPhillips/Nadasska (UIC) def. Leszayova/Plowman (DU), 8-6
No. 2 Aprodu/Sloboth (DU) def. Ulrikke von Ubisch/Gill-Morlis (UIC), 8-5
No. 3 Kalashnikova/Zawislak (DU) def. Cristescu/Reisch (UIC), 8-6