OWATONNA, Minn. - The University of Northwestern Women's Tennis team traveled down to Owatonna this Saturday to face the College of St. Scholastica and Simpson College. Unfortunately, the women's team was shorthanded in numbers due to an illness and a family event, leaving the No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles positions to be forfeited. Despite this, the women competed hard and had great chances in both matchups. The Eagles would fall 1-6 to St. Scholastica and win 5-2 against Simpson. 

Match One: College of St. Scholastica Saints
 

With No. 1 and No. 2 doubles matches now being a must-win to secure the doubles point, matches were more crucial than ever. Starting with No. 1 doubles, Sarah Langridge (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake) and Rein Hayashi (Kyoto, Japan/Kansai Christian School) fought through their match, but would fall 2-6. No. 2 doubles was a fight as well, through and through. Aby Ross (Chico, Calif./Central) and Hannah Hyttsten (Becker, Minn./Becker) saw a few chances to pull ahead, but a late push by the Saints would end up cutting them short and the Eagles would lose 5-7. 

The fight continued in singles with Hayashi (No. 1) battling another tough baseline power hitter, but the freshman would end up losing the match 0-6, 3-6. Langridge (No. 2) dropped the first set, but got back in the second set to get a tiebreaker. Points went back and forth until Scholastica pulled ahead and Langridge lost 2-6, 6-7 (3-7). Ross (No. 3) went the distance in her singles match; after losing the first set, the junior came back to win the second set and set up a third-set, ten-point tiebreak. Ross looked strong in the third set and was able to gut out a victory, winning 5-7, 6-2, 10-4. Hyttsten (No. 4) would end up losing her match 3-6, 0-6 along with Cimenski (No. 5), who fell 0-6, 2-6. 

Match Two: Simpson College Storm

The Eagles didn't give up hope, as they made another push against Simpson. Fueled by the Scholastica result, Langridge and Hayashi quickly handled their No. 1 doubles match, winning 6-2. And despite not having their No. 3 doubles team in the lineup, Ross and Hyttsten fought back in their set after being a down a game to win 7-5 and secure the doubles point. 

UNW didn't let up in singles either, as Ross was in her groove and won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 3. Langridge also won comfortably in the No. 2 match with a 6-2, 6-1 win. Hayashi's No. 1 match was close and tough throughout, but the star freshman came back from being down in both of her sets to win 6-4, 7-5 and secure UNW's first win of the season. The matches would finish up with Hyttsten falling 3-6, 1-6 at No. 4 and Cimenski drawing up a 6-0, 6-4 victory in the No. 5 slot. 

Up Next
 

The Eagles will head down to Minneapolis on Saturday, February 28th to play Macalester at Baseline Tennis Center.