Eastern Michigan Athletics
Thursday, October 16
Champaign, Ill.
10 a.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
ITA Midwest Regional
Photo by: Mid-American Conference
Eagles Secure Victories at ITA Midwest Regional Event
10/20/2025 3:29:00 PM | Tennis
Eastern played against some of the best in the region at the event in Illinois
URBANA, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University tennis team posted several strong performances, including three wins in singles play from Sabrina Tolstova, as the Eagles closed out competition at the 2025 ITA Midwest Regional Championships in Urbana, Ill., Oct. 16-18. Six players competed in the event, including five in singles and all six in doubles action, and combined to win eight total matches, including two of three first-round matches in doubles play.
In singles, four players took part in the qualifying bracket where two wins would earn a spot in the main draw with Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya (Serang, Indonesia/SMAN 2 Kota Serang) earning an opening round victory before falling in the second round to the No. 8 seed in straight sets. Regina Mendez Carreño (Los Cabos, Mexico/Picacho McGregor), Matilde Parreira (Leiria, Portugal/Escola Secundária Afonso Lopes), and Tolstova (Odesa, Ukraine/Tennisquick Los Cristianos) each fell in their opening round matches, but bounced back with wins in the consolation rounds as the trio combined for five wins, including Tolstova, who scored a pair of three-set victories sandwiched around a 6-0, 6-0 victory. Additionally, Lara Diaz Zayas (Mar de Ajo, Argentina/SEADEA) played in the main draw, but fell in straight sets in her lone singles match.
In doubles, Eastern sent three teams to the courts in the main draw and went 2-1 in the opening round, including a convincing 8-2 win by the team of Diaz Zayas and Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya before the pair fell in a close 8-6 decision to the No. 6-seeded pair from Wisconsin. The duo of Parreira and Tolstova also won their opening match, 8-4, over a team from Michigan State before falling to a strong side from Northwestern in the second round.
Overall, the Eagles' six wins in singles and two wins in doubles tie for the most in the event in the three years Ryan Kucera has guided the program, equaling the same numbers from his debut season in 2023. Additionally, both sets of victory totals are the second-most the program has tallied in the past 10 years and, since 2014, the third most singles wins since the team posted seven wins each in both 2014 and 2015.
The final fall tournament of 2025 awaits the Eagles as they will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Drake Invitational, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, hosted by Drake University. The event will be a homecoming of sorts for Kucera, who began his coaching career as the tennis professional at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club while also serving as an off-season coach for both West Des Moines Valley and Urbandale high schools.
2025 ITA MIDWEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Eastern Michigan Results • Singles
Lara Diaz Zayas • 0-1
Main Draw • Round of 64 (10/17): Maia Loureiro (Northwestern) def. Diaz Zayas, 6-2, 6-1
Regina Mendez Carreno • 1-1
Qualifiers • Round of 64 (10/16): Marielou Baudouin (Western Michigan) def. Mendez Carreno, 7-6(5), 6-3
Qualifiers Consolation (10/16): Mendez Carreno def. Andrea Delgado (Valparaiso), 6-4, 6-0
Matilde Parreira • 1-2
Qualifiers • Round of 64 (10/16): Paloma Hennicaux (SIU-Edwardsville) def. Parreira, 6-1, 7-6(6)
Qualifiers Consolation (10/16): Parreira def. Sienna Osborne (Western Michigan), 2-6, 6-3, 10-6
Consolation (10/17): Roberta Sechi (DePaul) def. Parreira, 6-3, 6-2
Sabrina Tolstova • 3-1
Qualifiers • Round of 64 (10/16): Mariia Pukhina (Bradley) def. Tolstova, 6-4, 6-2
Qualifiers Consolation (10/16): Tolstova def. Nia Cooper (UIC), 6-3, 5-7, 10-3
Consolation (10/17): Tolstova def. Nadjema Morille (Chicago State), 6-0, 6-0
Consolation (10/17): Tolstova def. Clara Nilsson (DePaul), 2-6, 6-4, 10-4
Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya • 1-1
Qualifiers • Round of 64 (10/16): Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya def. Nicole Iosio (Illinois State), 7-6(3), 7-5
Qualifiers • Round of 32 (10/16): [8] Marelie Raath (Northwestern) def. Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya, 6-3, 6-4
Eastern Michigan Results • Doubles
Lara Diaz Zayas / Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya • 1-1
Main Draw • Round of 64 (10/17): Diaz Zayas/Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya def. Valeriia Ivanovskaia/Compassion Tsai (Bradley), 8-2
Main Draw • Round of 32 (10/17): [6] Tianna Rangan/Kaede Usui (Wisconsin) def. Diaz Zayas/Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya, 8-6
Pehal Kharadkar / Regina Mendez Carreno • 0-1
Main Draw • Round of 64 (10/17): Irmak Budak/Theodora Kousiou (Northern Illinois) def. Kharadkar/Mendez Carreno, 8-5
Matilde Parreira / Sabrina Tolstova • 1-1
Main Draw • Round of 64 (10/17): Parreira/Tolstova def. Sarah Fazlagic/Issey Purser (Michigan State), 8-4
Main Draw • Round of 32 (10/17): Maia Loureiro/Marelie Raath (Northwestern) def. Parreira/Tolstova, 8-0
[#] indicates tournament seed
In singles, four players took part in the qualifying bracket where two wins would earn a spot in the main draw with Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya (Serang, Indonesia/SMAN 2 Kota Serang) earning an opening round victory before falling in the second round to the No. 8 seed in straight sets. Regina Mendez Carreño (Los Cabos, Mexico/Picacho McGregor), Matilde Parreira (Leiria, Portugal/Escola Secundária Afonso Lopes), and Tolstova (Odesa, Ukraine/Tennisquick Los Cristianos) each fell in their opening round matches, but bounced back with wins in the consolation rounds as the trio combined for five wins, including Tolstova, who scored a pair of three-set victories sandwiched around a 6-0, 6-0 victory. Additionally, Lara Diaz Zayas (Mar de Ajo, Argentina/SEADEA) played in the main draw, but fell in straight sets in her lone singles match.
In doubles, Eastern sent three teams to the courts in the main draw and went 2-1 in the opening round, including a convincing 8-2 win by the team of Diaz Zayas and Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya before the pair fell in a close 8-6 decision to the No. 6-seeded pair from Wisconsin. The duo of Parreira and Tolstova also won their opening match, 8-4, over a team from Michigan State before falling to a strong side from Northwestern in the second round.
Overall, the Eagles' six wins in singles and two wins in doubles tie for the most in the event in the three years Ryan Kucera has guided the program, equaling the same numbers from his debut season in 2023. Additionally, both sets of victory totals are the second-most the program has tallied in the past 10 years and, since 2014, the third most singles wins since the team posted seven wins each in both 2014 and 2015.
The final fall tournament of 2025 awaits the Eagles as they will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Drake Invitational, Oct. 31-Nov. 1, hosted by Drake University. The event will be a homecoming of sorts for Kucera, who began his coaching career as the tennis professional at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club while also serving as an off-season coach for both West Des Moines Valley and Urbandale high schools.
2025 ITA MIDWEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Eastern Michigan Results • Singles
Lara Diaz Zayas • 0-1
Main Draw • Round of 64 (10/17): Maia Loureiro (Northwestern) def. Diaz Zayas, 6-2, 6-1
Regina Mendez Carreno • 1-1
Qualifiers • Round of 64 (10/16): Marielou Baudouin (Western Michigan) def. Mendez Carreno, 7-6(5), 6-3
Qualifiers Consolation (10/16): Mendez Carreno def. Andrea Delgado (Valparaiso), 6-4, 6-0
Matilde Parreira • 1-2
Qualifiers • Round of 64 (10/16): Paloma Hennicaux (SIU-Edwardsville) def. Parreira, 6-1, 7-6(6)
Qualifiers Consolation (10/16): Parreira def. Sienna Osborne (Western Michigan), 2-6, 6-3, 10-6
Consolation (10/17): Roberta Sechi (DePaul) def. Parreira, 6-3, 6-2
Sabrina Tolstova • 3-1
Qualifiers • Round of 64 (10/16): Mariia Pukhina (Bradley) def. Tolstova, 6-4, 6-2
Qualifiers Consolation (10/16): Tolstova def. Nia Cooper (UIC), 6-3, 5-7, 10-3
Consolation (10/17): Tolstova def. Nadjema Morille (Chicago State), 6-0, 6-0
Consolation (10/17): Tolstova def. Clara Nilsson (DePaul), 2-6, 6-4, 10-4
Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya • 1-1
Qualifiers • Round of 64 (10/16): Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya def. Nicole Iosio (Illinois State), 7-6(3), 7-5
Qualifiers • Round of 32 (10/16): [8] Marelie Raath (Northwestern) def. Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya, 6-3, 6-4
Eastern Michigan Results • Doubles
Lara Diaz Zayas / Cylova Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya • 1-1
Main Draw • Round of 64 (10/17): Diaz Zayas/Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya def. Valeriia Ivanovskaia/Compassion Tsai (Bradley), 8-2
Main Draw • Round of 32 (10/17): [6] Tianna Rangan/Kaede Usui (Wisconsin) def. Diaz Zayas/Zuleyka Hukmasabiyya, 8-6
Pehal Kharadkar / Regina Mendez Carreno • 0-1
Main Draw • Round of 64 (10/17): Irmak Budak/Theodora Kousiou (Northern Illinois) def. Kharadkar/Mendez Carreno, 8-5
Matilde Parreira / Sabrina Tolstova • 1-1
Main Draw • Round of 64 (10/17): Parreira/Tolstova def. Sarah Fazlagic/Issey Purser (Michigan State), 8-4
Main Draw • Round of 32 (10/17): Maia Loureiro/Marelie Raath (Northwestern) def. Parreira/Tolstova, 8-0
[#] indicates tournament seed
Players Mentioned
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