Butler picked up a hard-fought BIG EAST win over DePaul Saturday afternoon at the Bulldogs' Tennis Bubble in Indianapolis. Freshman Emily Neal clinched the 4-3 win with a three-set victory at No. 3 singles.

The Bulldogs opened the match by taking the doubles point. Butler won the third court by default and used a 6-3 win at the No. 1 singles spot to take the point. Bailey Padgett teamed with fellow senior Jordan Minnick to take the win.

Butler took a 2-0 lead after winning the No. 6 singles position by default.

Rachel Sutton gave the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Mariji Jovicic at No. 2 singles before DePaul fought back to level the match with wins at the No. 1 and No. 5 spots.

The match would come down to Neal and Alina Kuzmenkova on the third court. Neal took the first set before Kuzmenkova countered with a 6-3 win of her own in the second set. With the deciding set tied at 4-4, Neal was able to get a late break to close out the set, her individual match, and the team result.

This is Butler's first win over DePaul since 2007.

Butler is now 9-15 on the season and improves to 2-3 in conference play. The Blue Demons fall to 6-7 overall and 1-2 in their three BIG EAST matches.  

The Bulldogs close out the regular season with a home contest against BIG EAST foe Seton Hall on April 21.
Singles

1. Patricia Lancranjan (DePaul) def. Bailey Padgett, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
2. Rachel Sutton (Butler) def. Mariji Jovicic, 6-3, 6-4
3. Emily Neal (Butler) def. Alina Kuzmenkova, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
4. Aspasia Avgeri (DePaul) def. Lauren Marx, 6-1, 6-2
5. Milica Tesic (DePaul) def. Nina Bertino, 6-1, 6-4
6. Butler won by default

Doubles

1. Padgett / Jordan Minnick (Butler) def. Kuzmenkova/Lancranjan, 6-3
2. Jovicic/Avgeri (DePaul) def. Sutton/Neal, 6-0
3. Butler won by default