ST. PETER, Minn. -- The Northwestern College women's tennis team (3-2, 0-0 GPAC) traveled to St. Peter, Minn. on February 4 and 5 and took on two tough NCAA opponents where they suffered their first two losses of the season.
On Friday night, the Raiders faced Minnesota-Mankato, a team that is expected to be atop the NSIC conference. They ultimately fell short and endured their first lost of the season 0-9. Here is what coach
Jamie De Jong had to say about the match, "Mankato is a really good team. We won a few games and I was so proud of our team. Many games went to deuce and we were happy to score a few games on them. We learned a lot and we grow when we get these experiences. Overall, I was pleased with how we did against them."
Minnesota-Mankato swept all 4 doubles matches, as well as all 8 singles matches.
Julia Kutz (Fr., Sheridan, Wyo./Sheridan) and
Ainslie Robinson (Fr., Luverne, Minn./Luverne) put up a fight in the number one double spot, but ultimately fell 6-3.
On Saturday, the Raiders went on to face Gustavus Adolphus, where they suffered their second loss of the season, falling 0-9. De Jong had this to say about their performance, "We improved overall on the day winning 40 games as opposed to yesterday winning only 19. We faced two really good teams and I am proud of the way the girls fought."
Kutz and Anderson battled in the number one double spot, but were defeated 8-5. Kutz took her opponent to a tiebreaker set, but was defeated by Trebil 6-2, 5-7, 10-8.
Julie Anderson (Fr., Rapid City, S.D./Rapid City Christian)
, Wynne Vandersall (Jr., Martelle, Iowa/Mount Vernon), Robinson,
Jessica Wilson (Jr., Onalaska, Wis./Onalaska),
Emma Montenegro (So., Paramount, Calif./Valley Christian),
Grace Twelmeyer (So., Des Moines, Iowa/Lincoln),
and
Rachel Coppock (Fr., Pella, Iowa/Pella Community) all fell in two sets in the number 2 through 8 single spots.
The Raiders record moves to 3-2. They will return to action February 18 where they will travel to Sioux City, Iowa where they will face Grand View and Morningside in a non-conference match.
