SARTELL, MINN. – The Eagles women's tennis team lost their first match of the year Saturday afternoon, dropping the contest to Saint Benedict 7-2. 

CSB 7, UNW 2 

Northwestern was very competitive in the doubles portion of play, including a win from the first doubles team of Brooke Lapinski (Chanhassen, Minn./Chanhassen) and Nikki Edin Paskewitz.  The second team of Emily Knight (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge) and Shawna Spears (Thief River Falls, Minn./Lincoln) also played very well, falling in a tight contest (6-8).
 
The Eagles also held their own in the singles matches, headlined by a win from Lapinski (6-4, 4-6, 10-2) at the one singles spot.  Ellen Stensrud and Mackenzie Schurhamer each also had some success, taking 8 games and 7 games, respectively.
 
UNW will be back in action in a week, as they will take on Hamline University on Saturday, February 3 at the Baseline Tennis Center.  Head to unweagles.com to find more information on the team.