BOX SCORE

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The Western Illinois women's tennis team competed for the first time in over two weeks against SIU-Edwardsville on Sunday (Feb. 21), where they dropped a 7-0 decision. With the loss, the Leathernecks fall to 2-3 on the season.
 
"We showed excellent effort against a tough SIU-E team," said head coach Mirko Bjelica. "We have a lot of potential on our team. We showed a good deal of character today and fought for every single point although we ended up falling short in the end."
 
The Cougars had an early advantage as they claimed the No. 3 doubles spot by default. Courtney Lubbers and Maria Bessmertnaya battled at No. 1 doubles, but fell to Mia Frogner and Madeline Hill by a score of 6-4. Arianna Demos and Nicole Jones also fell at the No. 2 doubles spot, 6-4.
 
In singles action, the Cougars were able to sweep the Leathernecks as they won all six matches in straight sets. Lubbers fell 6-3, 6-4 at the No. 1 spot. At the No. 2 spot, Bessmertnaya dropped her contest 6-4, 6-3. Elsewhere, Demos (0-6, 1-6), Jones (6-3, 6-3), and Jenna Wallace (6-4, 6-2) fell at the No. 3, 4, and 5 spots, respectively. SIU-E took the No. 6 singles point by default.
 
The Purple and Gold will be back in action on Thursday (Feb. 25) at home in Galesburg, Illinois, against Dayton. First serve is set for 5 p.m.