The 16th-ranked DePauw women’s tennis team fell short to the DII 27th-ranked University of Indianapolis by a score of 7-2 on Monday.
The Tigers only came out on top in one singles match and one doubles match.
The match started off with DePauw trailing 2-1 in doubles play, having taken their only win at three doubles, when first-year Sarah Wilder and junior Maddie Lee defeated University of Indianapolis’s Selenay Heper and Paige Olsen 8-4 in doubles.
But the Tigers are taking the loss in stride.
“Indy is one of the best teams we will see all year. If you put it into perspective, the loss isn’t terrible,” said Head Coach Scott Riggle.
The Tigers' schedule includes a multitude of nationally ranked teams, providing many opportunities to prove their skill and grit this season.
“The loss motivates us all to keep working hard and improving each practice. I know we're right on the cusp of some great wins,” Lee said. “Overall, our team chemistry is encouraging and positive, and I know that this will help us moving forward with the remainder of our season.”
Despite the loss, Riggle looks at the match as another learning opportunity for the team.
“They definitely showed us things we need to work on, such as better fitness, higher consistency and higher accuracy of ground strokes,” he said.
UIndy challenged the Tigers after taking in order No. 5 singles, No. 4 singles and No. 1 singles.
However, the Tigers picked up their second and final victory at No. 6 singles, where first-year Nicole Pamphilis broke the Greyhounds' run with a 6-4, 7-5 win.
UIndy sealed its victory when first-year Ali Bush dropped a hard-fought No. 3 singles match 7-6, 6-0.
“Our coach focuses a lot on the mental side of tennis, which has helped us prepare and perform for our matches,” Bush said. “Since we are a young team, we are still all learning the doubles game that our coach wants us to play. With lots of different drills and practice, I think we have come a long way so far.”
With this loss, the team's overall record drops to 7-9. Indianapolis' record improves to 8-5.
DePauw will host Ohio Wesleyan in an NCAC matchup at home on April 15th.