In a tight encounter, Aquinas recorded a 5-4 victory over Saint Mary's on Saturday at home.
In doubles play, where the Belles had looked strong in last week's three-match trip to Ohio, Saint Mary's again took an early advantage. Although freshman Meaghan Flynn and senior Kaity Venters were defeated 8-5, despite bringing a 4-1 deficit back to 4-4, the other two Belles pairings recorded victories, with sophomore Monica Davy and senior Sam Setterblad winning their match 8-3, while juniors Maddie Minaudo and Kelsey Kopf won theirs 8-6 after establishing an early 5-2 lead.
Minaudo extended the Belles’ lead by earning the first victory of the singles matches, a 6-2, 6-2 win. However, the rest of the Belles’ singles lineup could not achieve the same success. Kopf and Flynn both lost by final scores of 7-5, 6-3, and while sophomore Elizabeth Preister recorded a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory for the Belles, the other two Belles players in three-set matches did not fare so well. Although both Davy and Setterblad claimed the opening sets of their encounters, both of their opponents tied things up before taking the final set, 6-2. Davy was defeated 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 while Setterblad lost 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
Saint Mary's faces a busy spring break, playing five schools in Orlando, Florida. The Belles will face UW-La Crosse on Monday, before taking on St. Scholastica and Goucher on Tuesday, and William Smith and St. Norbert on Thursday.
