Cincinnati Women's Tennis Gears Up for Home Clash with Western Michigan
CINCINNATI - After a tough road loss at Indiana, the Cincinnati Bearcats women’s tennis team is back on home turf this Saturday, looking to reset and refocus as they host Western Michigan at 1:30 p.m. inside the Western Athletic Club.
Cincinnati enters the weekend at 2-1 on the season, and while last week’s match in Bloomington didn’t go their way, there were still bright spots - particularly from sophomore Milica Popovski. The second-year standout delivered a strong performance on court No. 6, taking down Indiana’s Li Hsin Lin in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4. That win moved Popovski to 2-1 in singles play this season and showed the kind of poise you want to see from a player settling into a key role in the lineup.
Now, the Bearcats are turning the page and setting their sights on a Western Michigan squad that’s coming in with a 3-3 record. The Broncos are fresh off a doubleheader against Big Ten opponents, where they fell to Minnesota (7-0) and Michigan State (4-0).
Despite the team results, WMU had a few standout moments of their own - particularly in doubles. On court No. 3, the pairing of Sienna Osborne and Julia Frazier looked sharp, posting a 6-3 win over Minnesota’s Nora Knezevic and Aiva Schmitz, and a dominant 6-1 victory over Michigan State’s Nina Plihal and Anna Maria Tottrup.
This won’t be the first meeting between these programs, either. The last time Cincinnati and Western Michigan squared off was back in February 2020, when the Bearcats came out on top with a 5-2 win in front of a home crowd at the Western Tennis and Fitness Club. That history adds a little extra edge to Saturday’s matchup, as both teams look to build momentum early in the season.
For Cincinnati, the focus will be on bouncing back with energy and execution, especially in doubles - an area where the Broncos have shown they can strike early. Expect head coach Eric Toth and his staff to make adjustments and lean on experienced players like Popovski to set the tone.
With conference play looming in the not-too-distant future, matches like this one are about more than just the win-loss column. They’re about sharpening the lineup, building chemistry, and learning how to respond when the pressure’s on. Saturday’s showdown offers a perfect opportunity for the Bearcats to do just that - and to show that last week’s loss was just a bump in the road, not a step back.