Saint Mary’s took the court Tuesday night in a conference matchup against Adrian, earning its 10th win of the season by a score of 8-1.
The Belles (10-8, 4-2 MIAA) dropped just one singles match to the Bulldogs (9-7, 2-3 MIAA) en route to the victory. In just over two hours, the Belles were able to quickly defeat the Bulldogs for their fourth conference win.
Doubles play continued to be a point of strength for the Belles, as all three pairs won their matches. Senior captain Kayle Sexton and sophomore Sam Setterblad earned the first victory of the day at No. 1 doubles by a score of 8-2. Fellow senior captain Shannon Elliott and junior Andrea Fetters won their No. 2 doubles match, 8-3. Finishing the day for the Belles at No. 3 doubles were junior Margaret Faller and freshman Maddie Minaudo, who outlasted Bulldogs junior Justine Hanson and sophomore Victoria Watson by a score of 8-3.
The Belles showed strength in singles against Adrian after senior captain Jackie Kjolhede recorded the lone singles victory against Calvin on Saturday. Fetters, Sexton, Elliott and Faller joined Kjolhede in the singles win column in Tuesday’s match, adding to their victories in doubles. Fetters, at No. 1 singles, earned an easy 6-1, 6-1 victory, followed by Sexton’s 6-0, 6-0 sweep at No. 2. Kjolhede won her No. 3 singles match 6-0, 6-3, followed by Elliott’s 6-3, 6-1 victory in the No. 4 slot and Faller's 6-1, 6-0 No. 5 singles victory. The only dropped match on the day came at No. 6 singles, in which freshman Bailey Oppman could not catch up to Adrian freshman McKenzie Krieg, dropping the match 6-2, 6-2.
The Belles are keeping their postseason hopes alive as they maintained their No. 4 position in the MIAA. Only the top four teams at the end of the regular season advance to postseason play.
Saint Mary’s will return to action Saturday against struggling Albion (3-6, 1-3 MIAA). Albion will take on Adrian on Friday before facing off against the Belles on Saturday. The Britons are currently place second-to-last in MIAA standings, with their only conference victory coming against last-place Olivet in a close 5-4 decision. The Belles handled the Comets earlier in the season, 8-1.
Saint Mary’s will travel to Albion, Michigan, this Saturday to take on the Britons in one of their final conference matchups of the season. Matches are set to begin at 1 p.m.
