Box Score
GREENVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College women's tennis team once again overcame the odds, rallying from two points down to Greenville University and finding a way to take home a 5-4 victory over the Panthers on Friday night. The Lady Blues will welcome a long lay-off after finishing their sixth match in the past six days and improve to 4-7 on the season.
Though Illinois College was able to field one extra player than in its past two matches, the Lady Blues still only had five in uniform on Friday, giving Greenville automatic victories at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles. That meant that IC could only afford to drop two points in the seven remaining matches and that's exactly what the Lady Blues did.
The comeback started in doubles when Illinois College took the wins at both No. 1 and No. 2.
Sally Hixson and
Sophia Roth had very little trouble at No. 1, taking an 8-3 decision over Bailey Pearce and Emma Wieland. The turning point of the match came in the No. 2 doubles match.
Madelyn Deardorff and
Kalisa Goertz outlasted Courtney Blaser and Claudia Principal by a score of 9-8(4) to tie the match at 2-2 heading into singles.
Greenville took the first point of singles at No. 5 where Annie Bellinger defeated
AnnaBeth Batson. But with the score 3-2 in favor of the Panthers, Illinois College won the next three matches to clinch victory. At No. 1 singles, Roth downed Pearce by a score of 6-2, 6-1. Hixson and Goertz then finished off wins at Nos. 2 and 3 in short order, winning 6-1, 6-0 over Wieland and Principal. Blaser was able to earn her side one last point in the last match to finish, downing Deardorff at No. 4 singles, 7-6(7), 6-1.
The next match for Illinois College comes on Oct. 2 as the Lady Blues travel to St. Louis to meet Fontbonne University at 5 p.m.
