Saint Mary's was unable to sustain the surging momentum from its 6-3 win against North Central on Monday, as the Belles fell to Calvin, 5-4, on Wednesday in Grand Rapids, Mich.
The Belles (10-7, 4-3 MIAA) fared better in doubles competition than they did in singles competition against Calvin (6-10, 4-4), as two of the Belles' four points in the match came in doubles play.
Saint Mary's No. 1 doubles team of junior Mary Catherine Faller and sophomore Kayle Sexton earned an 8-4 victory, and No. 2 doubles team of sophomores Audrey Kiefer and Shannon Elliott won in a close 8-6 decision.
Sexton added a victory in singles competition, as she decisively won her No. 2 singles match, 6-2, 6-2.
Belles coach Dale Campbell said Calvin was a tough opponent and said his team had strong showings in doubles competition, but could not finish in the singles matches.
"Calvin is a very formidable opponent that we have lost to before," Campbell said. "In response, we took control basically from the start of doubles but could not win three out of six singles matches."
Despite their success in doubles, Elliott and Faller struggled in singles matches, as Elliott lost her match, 5-7, 6-1, 3-6, and Faller fell to her opponent by a score of 3-6, 0-6. Sexton continued her success by winning her match at No. 2 singles, 6-2, 6-2. Sophomore Jackie Kjolhede recovered from a doubles loss to win her No. 5 singles match, 6-1, 6-1.
Campbell said the Belles showed signs of improvement from their last match against Calvin, a 6-3 loss in April of 2012.
"Calvin is always tough, but we fought hard and the score shows," Campbell said.
The Belles will travel to Kalamazoo on Saturday in their final conference match of the season. Kalamazoo has won its last two matches and sports a conference record of 5-1.
Campbell said Saint Mary's goal is to move on from Wednesday's close loss and win its final match before the MIAA Championships.
"Each match carries the same weight, so we are looking to move on and do well against Kalamazoo," Campbell said.
The Belles finish their regular season Saturday at Kalamazoo.
Contact D.H. Kim at dkim16@nd.edu
