Racers Advance to MVC Finals – Defeat Belmont in Semis

Saturday, April 26

Valparaiso, IND.

10 a.m.

Murray State

Belmont

Racers Advance to MVC Finals – Defeat Belmont in Semis

4/26/2025 1:49:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score

The Racers are in Valparaiso, Ind., trying to win back-to-back MVC Tournament titles

The Murray State Racers advanced to the finals of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship with a 4-2 victory over the Belmont Bruins at The Courts of Northwest Indiana in Valparaiso.
After dropping the doubles point, the Racers won at the second through four positions and also at the No. 6 slot when Paola Campigotto defeated Belmont's Sarah McElrath 6-0, 6-3.

"We were up in every doubles match, but Belmont took the momentum from us and credit to them," MSU Coach Jorge Caetano said. "I thought we were a little tight and that happens sometimes in a tournament. We have won several matches this year after losing the doubles point, so our focus was to start fast in the singles competition and we did just that. We won five of the six first-sets and once we got the lead after Paola and Yuna won their matches before Bruna was done with her first set, we took it to the win. I think everything that happened today is exactly what we needed going into the final on Sunday."

The Racers have won their last 19 matches in both MVC regular season and tournament play and now advance to Sunday's championship match at 10 a.m. against No. 2 UIC, who defeated No. 3 Illinois State by a score of 5-1.

2025 Missouri Valley Conference Championship
Valparaiso, Ind. – The Courts of Northwest Indiana
April 26, 2025
(1) Murray State 4 def. (4) Belmont 2
Semifinals

Singles competition
1. Zholdakova, Anastsi (BEL) def. Chaikovskaia, V. (MUR) 7-5, 6-3
2. Alexeyeva, Varya (MUR) def. Kliimand, Viktoria (BEL) 6-1, 6-3
3. Kadowaki, Yuna (MUR) def. Sokolovic, Hana (BEL) 6-1, 6-1
4. Kikawa, Yu (MUR) def. Hamilton, Libbie (BEL) 6-3, 6-4
5. Melato, Bruna (MUR) vs. Getty, Aly (BEL) 6-7, 4-4, unfinished
6. Campigotto, Paola (MUR) def. McElrath, Sarah (BEL) 6-0, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Kliimand, Viktoria/Sokolovic, Hana (BEL) def. Chaikovskaia, V./Melato, Bruna (MUR) 7-6 (7-5)
2. Zholdakova, Anastsi/Getty, Aly (BEL) def. Kikawa, Yu/Kadowaki, Yuna (MUR) 6-4
3. Campigotto, Paola/Alexeyeva, Varya (MUR) def. Hamilton, Libbie/McElrath, Sarah (BEL) 6-1

Match Notes:
Belmont 7-15, Murray State 16-6
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (6,3,2,1,4)

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