RIVER FALLS, Wis. - After an unexpected week off due to weather postponements, the University of Northwestern Women's Tennis team was back in action Tuesday, traveling to take on the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. The Eagles put up a good fight against their WIAC opponents, but came up short, falling by a 2-5 score.
The Falcons got off to a great start by sweeping the doubles matches to claim a 1-0 lead. UNW's No. 3 doubles team of
Hannah Hyttsten (Becker, Minn./Becker) and
Abby Cimenski (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids) was first to bow out, by a 3-6 score, and the No. 2 squad of
Aby Ross (Chico, Calif./Central) and
Anne Clarke (Granite Falls, Minn./Yellow Medicine East) was soon to follow, falling 4-6. In the No. 1 match,
Rein Hayashi (Kyoto, Japan/Kansai Christian School) and
Sarah Langridge (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake) were all-square, 5-5, but dropped the next two sets.
UWRF's hot start continued into the early singles matches, as Clarke fell 1-6, 3-6 at No. 5, and Cimenski suffered a 2-6, 3-6 defeat in the No. 6 match. At No. 1 singles, Hayashi lost by a 4-6, 2-6 margin to officially clinch the team match for River Falls, and Hyttsten dropped her No. 4 match, 4-6, 4-6. Despite the slow start, the Eagles fought hard to put a couple of points on the board. Langridge battled back from a 0-6 defeat in set one of the No. 2 singles match to win the second, 6-1, and force a tiebreak. It required an extra point but the freshman got it done, winning the tiebreak, 11-9. In the No. 3 match, Ross dropped a heartbreaking first set, 6-7 (4-7), but gutted out a 7-5 win in set two. In her tiebreak, the junior also won by a slim margin, 10-8, to make it a 2-5 final tally.
Northwestern won't have much time to think about Tuesday's loss as it will welcome Hamline to the Johnson Tennis Complex on Wednesday, April 8th at 4:00 PM.
