COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College women's tennis team showed once again that it can compete with some of the best teams in the region, offering up a stern test to Haverford in a 7-2 Centennial Conference defeat that was far closer than the final score line.
Freshmen Maddie Russell and Cara Freedman picked up an impressive victory in a tiebreaker at number two doubles and junior Summer Burkholder was a winner at sixth singles for the Bears, who wound up on the short end of two third-set super breakers and another tiebreaker in a singles pro set.
Haverford (5-4, 5-0) – ranked 11th in the Atlantic South region – cruised at first and third doubles, but Russell and Freedman were able to outlast Natalie Williams and Ananya Prakash in an 8-7 (3) thriller at number two.
Upon the completion of doubles, rain forced the teams inside the Floy Lewis Bakes Center for singles play. Only able to hold three matches at a time, the Bears had the regionally ranked Fords hanging on for dear life as sophomore Caitlyn Sorelle and freshman Brenna Trkula each pushed their opponents to a third set. Both came up just shy; Sorelle lost 6-2, 3-6, 10-4 at number one, and Trkula conceded a 3-6, 6-4, 10-3 decision at number three.
Russell took Williams to a first-set breaker at second singles, which ended in a 7-6 (5), 6-0 victory for the Haverford player.
Freedman lost 8-7 (2) at fifth singles before Burkholder snatched an 8-5 victory over Renata DiDonato on the sixth and final court.
The Bears take on Dickinson at home on Saturday.