ORLANDO, Fla. – A pair of razor-thin tiebreakers went against the Ursinus College women's tennis team, which made all the difference in a 6-3 loss to Transylvania in the Bears' Florida opener.
Sophomore Madisen Harvey picked up a pair of wins for the Bears, who fell to 1-2 on the young season.
Harvey teamed with freshman Jessica Leach for an 8-2 victory at third doubles, but Ursinus was forced to retire on the top court and dropped a nail-biter on the second. Rookie partners Cara Freedman and Maddie Russell waged a thrilling battle with Alyssa Igyarto and Reagan Jobe at number two, but the Transylvania duo outlasted them, 10-8, in a tiebreaker.
The Pioneers won easily on the first three singles courts, but the Bears got the better of the back end. Harvey cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 win at number four, and fellow sophomore Maddie Sorebo registered a 6-2, 6-2 victory at number six.
Freedman and Jobe went down to the wire again in their one-on-one matchup, and the result was the same. Freedman won the first set, 6-3, only for Jobe to edge out a 7-5 second set and prevail in a 10-8 super tiebreaker.
The Bears return to action on Tuesday with a pair of matches against Shippensburg and Piedmont.