The Saint Mary’s Belles saw an 8-1 loss against Kalamazoo Tuesday evening.
The competition started off tough for the Belles in doubles. The first match saw senior Meredith Heckert and junior Kalyn Borger battle throughout the set, eventually losing 8-6 in second doubles to the Hornets. Junior Kathleen McLeod and freshman Alayna Campbell battled through a host of long rallies but never broke through. They lost 8-0, a score that didn't reflect the back-and-forth rallies at No. 1 doubles. Senior Nikki Rust and sophomore Katie Hunter ended the doubles with an 8-2 loss, and the Hornets went into singles with three points on the Belles.
The Belles also took devastating blows with singles. Rust opened up the afternoon but ultimately fell 6-1, 6-0 to opponent Meghan Killmaster. The singles matches would continue to see the Belles lose with little to no scoring. In similar fashion, Hunter lost the six singles 6-2, 6-0, followed by Heckert losing 6-0, 6-4 and then Campbell losing the first singles 6-0, 6-3. Finally, Borger would notch the first Belles point in the afternoon. Borger won the first game 6-1, before a close 7-5 second game to secure the point. McLeod battled throughout her match. The first game saw a score of 5-5. Hornet Ella Knight scored, before McLeod answered, bringing the score to 6-6 and forcing a tiebreaker. Here, McLeod lost 7-3 before falling 6-0 in the second game.
Kalamazoo is currently undefeated in the MIAA (5-0) while Saint Marys has a 3-2 record. With only four matches left, the Belles hope to outperform and carry out the rest of their season on a high note. Saint Marys has a week to rest up and prepare for their match against Hope College. The Flying Dutch have a 12-7 record compared to the Belles’ 6-9. It'll be a tough matchup for the Belles. The two teams have both played Calvin this season. Calvin handed the Belles their other conference loss, but Hope toppled them 7-2.
The Saint Mary's Belles host the Flying Dutch next Tuesday, April 19, at 4 p.m.
