Name: Tennis with love-ly send-off for seniors' final home match
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Tennis with love-ly send-off for seniors' final home match

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                                A 7-0 stand-up performance from the women’s tennis team against in-state Midland College marked the curtain call for the 2024 regular season and a final bow for Bluejay seniors Malvika Shukla and Jeanne Gearity in front of the Creighton community.&nbsp;On Apr. 13, a sunny Sunday afternoon greeted the Bluejays as they took the court to round out a 14-6 regular season at the Koch Family Tennis Center, delivering a sweep over the Warriors to complement Senior Day celebrations.&nbsp;Sophomore duo Ana Paula Martinez and Annika Elvestrom kicked off play with a seamless 6-0 victory for the first win of the afternoon before, just minutes later, Malvika Shukla and Valerie Negin captured a 6-1 result in less than 20 minutes of play.&nbsp;
        Negin and Shulka’s combined prowess on the court not only secured the doubles tennis point for the Bluejays but also marked Negin’s 100th career win, an achievement that named her just the 21st player in Creighton women’s tennis history to record 100 career wins.&nbsp;Thus, with the doubles point in Creighton’s hands, an inconsequential but eventful match ensued between No. 3 doubles pairing Jeanne Gearity and Elsa Jurrens and their Midland opponents.After back-and-forth action punctuated by a monstrous serve from Midland’s Jenna Carle, the Bluejays were defeated in a close 6-4 battle.&nbsp;&nbsp;However, the Bluejays still retained a 1-0 lead going into singles play, where Creighton didn’t disappoint.&nbsp;&nbsp;Junior Bianca Rademacher continued the Bluejays’ success with 6-1 and 6-0 victories at No. 3 singles. Negin posted Creighton’s third point of the match with a 6-0, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles.&nbsp;It was Allison Wilcox, with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over her opponent at No. 5 singles, who clinched the match for the Bluejays.&nbsp;&nbsp;With only three matches still in play, it was the seniors’ time to shine for the last time in their college careers.&nbsp;&nbsp;Battling in the No. 1 singles position, Malvika Shukla executed a straight-set victory 6-3, 6-3 just before Elvestrom defeated her Warrior opponent 6-1, 6-3. Creighton’s chances at a sweep rested on Gearity’s shoulders.&nbsp;The senior dominated her opponent through two straight sets at the No. 6 singles position, battling for a 6-1, 6-1 victory to give the Bluejays their third sweep of the season.&nbsp;&nbsp;Thus, the finale of their final regular season ended with the curtain closing on the home careers of the two seniors and the beginnings of the celebration of both of their careers for Senior Day.&nbsp;
        For Gearity, who transferred from Southern Mississippi, her time at Creighton wasn’t defined solely by tennis, but also by the relationships she made.&nbsp;“I'm a transfer, and so I would say I didn't know you could have an experience like this when I was at my previous school...Coming here and having a second set of parents and a second family… [brings] joy.”&nbsp;Gearity’s impact on the Creighton women’s tennis team will not be forgotten by head coach Tom Lilly, either, who remembers not only her contributions this seasonbut the first time she put on the Creighton uniform and played for the Bluejays.&nbsp;“We ended up beating North Dakota 4-3 that day,” Lilly reminisced about Gearity’s first match. “Their doubles match… it was match point against them and she makes a… poach volley, and they go into a tie breaker and clinch the doubles point for our team… She’s been [such] a positive influence on our team.”&nbsp;Shukla’s story, too, beginning all the way back in India and bringing her to this moment, evoked much gratitude from the senior for the teammates and coaches that helped make Omaha, Nebraska, 8,201 miles away from her home in Mumbai, India, feel like just that: home.&nbsp;“It’s crazy to say, but I didn’t know anything about Omaha; I didn’t know anything about Nebraska when I came here, but to now be able to call it home after four years, and the relationships and the people I’ve met through tennis… [It’s] just really heartwarming,” Shukla said. “I’m so glad I chose to come here. Even though I knew nothing about it, I would do it again.”&nbsp;The process of bringing in Shukla with little to know about her playing style while caught in the midst of COVID-19 reaped generous rewards, as Lilly reflected on the incredible impact that the Mumbai native had on the team after her four years on campus and in the Creighton family.&nbsp;“She’s always been resilient on the court,” Lilly said. “It’s something where, as a coach, you never have to worry about her, because we always know she’s going to compete… She’ll go down as one of the greatest [Creighton] women’s tennis players of all time, and I’m just very thankful…”&nbsp;While the regular season may have signified the last time that Gearity and Shukla play on Creighton’s home courts, more tennis awaits just over the horizon in the Big East Championships in South Carolina, beginning on Apr. 19.&nbsp;&nbsp;“I’m kind of still in denial that I’m done [playing on Creighton’s courts],” Shukla said. “[But] I’m telling myself we’re still going to South Carolina, and we have a long way to go, so I’m excited about what’s to come.”&nbsp;Seeded at No. 5 and ready to go after a finals berth that left the Bluejays as the runner-up in last years’ Big East Championship, Creighton is prepped and ready to take on the No. 4 seed UConn Huskies at 4:30 CT.&nbsp;
        
                                
                                



                                
                                
                                
                                A 7-0 stand-up performance from the women’s tennis team against in-state Midland College marked the curtain call for the 2024 regular season and a final bow for Bluejay seniors Malvika Shukla and Jeanne Gearity in front of the Creighton community.&nbsp;On Apr. 13, a sunny Sunday afternoon greeted the Bluejays as they took the court to round out a 14-6 regular season at the Koch Family Tennis Center, delivering a sweep over the Warriors to complement Senior Day...

Tennis with love-ly send-off for seniors' final home match

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