by: Brendan Dougherty, Sam Lund, and Keaton Rice
The Bradley Women’s Tennis team has had a historic season thus far as they have managed to win 15 of their 22 matches, which makes them the best team in program history. A lot of the credit goes to the leader of the pack who has put the program back on track to a winning tradition.
Coach Matt Tyler is in his ninth season as a collegiate tennis head coach. His first four years came from Wartburg College, an NCAA Division III school where he was both the men’s and women’s coach. Tyler is currently in his fifth year as the Bradley Women’s Tennis team’s head coach. The bar of success has been set high for Coach Tyler and his team as he has taken his team to the Missouri Valley Conference Championship semifinal round the past two years, this is the first time the Braves have been there in the program’s history.
Coach Tyler is not only a great coach, but he was a standout tennis player as well. Tyler attended Mesa State College and graduated in 2005 with a degree in psychology. During his time there he was an all-conference doubles player before starting his six-year-long professional playing career. Over those six years, he was the USPTA Intermountain Region Men’s Open Player of the Year (2006), he was the top-ranked pro for the state of Iowa for three years in a row (2009-10-11), and was ranked 174th in the U.S. Men’s Pro Open Division (2011).
With only the conference tournament left, the Braves have already surpassed their most wins in a season with Coach Tyler. Currently sitting at 15-7, the Braves have 4 more match wins than when Coach Tyler first came into the program. In the 16 years before Coach Tyler got to Bradley, the team had a total of four conference wins, and in the last five years, the team has acquired nine conference wins.
Freshman Nikki Perlwitz has had a lot of success this season and she gives a lot of credit to her Coach.
“Coach is one of the most supportive people I know, no matter what he’s always on our side,” Perlwitz said.
Missouri Valley Player of the week Natalia Barbery loves how coach Tyler always uses positivity in practice and in matches.
Barbery said, “Coach Tyler has many great attributes, but the biggest one to me is his optimism. No matter what the score is, he always reminds us that we are capable of doing great things and encourages us to give our best effort and attitude.”
The Braves are the third-ranked team out of seven in the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference Championships hosted by Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Braves are scheduled to face the sixth-seeded Panthers of Northern Iowa to begin tournament play.
Coach Matt Tyler said, “UNI has had a tough season so far, and they’ll definitely come out ready to compete. We need to make sure we’re sharp, focused, and ready to go.”
The Braves defeated the Panthers last weekend 6-1 on the Markin Tennis Courts here in Peoria. The Panthers will be looking for revenge when it matters the most in the tournament.
“We have to go into this match with the same mindset we had the first time we played them, and have high energy and come ready to fight,” Perlwitz said.
Dating back to 1987, the Braves have yet to win a conference championship. Besides last year’s title win by Missouri State, Wichita State has taken the last 11.
Home court advantage may become a key factor for the Panthers in the opening round of the Tournament. The Braves and Panthers will play on Friday, April 26th in Cedar Falls, IA. Matches will begin at 5 P.M.
