By: The Lady Blues were swept by a solid Loras College team, but regrouped and dominated Aurora University in an 8-1 victory.
DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Illinois College women's tennis team traveled to Loras College on Saturday and came away with a record of 1-1 after falling to the Duhawks in the morning but putting away Aurora University in the afternoon. Loras swept IC by a score of 9-0, while the Lady Blues stormed past the Spartans, 8-1.
The Duhawks played strong on their home courts, starting the day off with a pair of 8-0 wins in doubles along with an 8-1 win in the No. 2 match. In singles,
Sally Hixson played a good first set in the No. 1 match, but ended up falling to Audrey Hinz, 4-6, 0-6.
Kalisa Goertz made her collegiate singles debut in the No. 5 match and was upended, 3-6, 2-6.
Things got better from there for the Lady Blues. Facing Aurora, Goertz and
Madelyn Deardorff won their No. 3 doubles match, 8-0.
Ariel Rhoades and
Lena Reed combined for an 8-4 win at No. 2 doubles. In the No. 1 doubles match, Hixson and
Lisa Noggle got a crucial late break and gave IC a 3-0 lead after a 9-7 victory.
The wins kept coming in the singles portion of the match against Aurora. Goertz won her No. 5 match at love. Deardorff was a 6-0, 6-1 winner at No. 6. At Nos. 3 and 4, Rhoades and Reed won by identical scores of 6-0, 6-2. Hixson gutted out the final victory for IC, coming away with the 7-6(5), 1-6, 12-10 win at No. 1 over Micaela Mascha.
Illinois College will close the weekend out with a home match against Blackburn College on Sunday afternoon at the Bellatti Tennis Complex starting at 2 p.m. Donations for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts will be accepted at the match.
