MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Northwestern lost its first contest of the 2014 season on Saturday night, dropping an 8-1 result to St. Catherine University at the Baseilne Tennis Center. The Eagles were neck and neck with the 2013 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (MIAC) champion-Wildcats in most matches, including all three doubles contests.

Match Results

Northwestern ultimately dropped those three doubles matches by two games apiece. The freshman combo of Karen Moe (Fargo, N.D./Fargo South ) and Tina Matetich (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) took St. Kate's' Mikinzee Salo and Angie Lorenzen into extra time before ultimately losing 9-7 at the No. 2 spot. Meanwhile, both the No. 1 pair of Megan Johnson (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) and Kelly Johnson (Annandale, Minn./Annandale) and No. 3 duo of Rachel Bostrom (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) and Amber Gallaway (Annandale, Minn./Annandale) lost their matches in 8-6 fashion to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead heading into singles action.

Moe was the Eagles' lone point of the night as the freshman continued her impressive winning streak with a 6-7 (0-4), 6-2, 1-0 (10-6) victory over Kylie Ketcho at the No. 2 position. Matetich's No. 4 singles match also went into a third set super tiebreaker, but the Northwestern rookie lost to Lorenzen 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 (10-6). Megan Johnson (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) nearly earned a first set win at No. 1 singles that would have given the junior some momentum heading deeper into the match, but she fell to Victoria Bravo 7-5, 6-1.

The win pushed St. Catherine to 4-1 in 2014.

Now 2-1 on the season, UNW has one match remaining in Minnesota before heading to Florida for its annual spring break trip. The Eagles will face Macalester College on Saturday, March 1 at Lifetime Fitness in Lakeville, Minn. That match is expected to begin at 6:30 p.m.