Results ERIE, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's tennis team lost a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division match to Mercyhurst University, 8-1, Tuesday night in Erie, Pennsylvania.
The loss drops The Rock's record to 7-7 overall and 0-2 in league play. The Lakers improve to 6-3 overall and 2-1 in PSAC West matches. Tuesday's match was Slippery Rock's third consecutive contest against a team ranked in the national top 50 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association; Embry-Riddle was ranked 31st in the country, Indiana was slotted 36th and the Lakers are ranked 46th in the poll.
Slippery Rock played Mercyhurst tight in several flights with the highlight for The Rock coming at No. 2 singles where
Nina Barbano beat Adrianna Jeffress 0-6, 6-2, 6-2. In terms of ITA regional rankings, the result was an upset as Jeffress was ranked as the No. 7 singles player in the region while Barbano was slotted 19th. The victory improves Barbano's record to 11-9 on the season overall.
Mercyhurst began the night by sweeping doubles play. Jeffress and Kayla Frost downed
Carla Corrochano Moracho 8-0 at No. 1 doubles. In a pair of close matches Annie Baich and Saioa Gomez de Segura defeated
Stephanie Fortier and
Amanda Bruscemi, 8-4, in the second flight while Adina Spahalic and Carmen Mantecon Duro edged
Tiffany Kollah and
Allie Welch, 8-6, at the third slot to complete the doubles sweep.
The Lakers clinched the match with wins at first and sixth singles where Gomez de Segura defeated Corrochano 6-0, 6-1 and Spahalic beat Welch 6-0, 6-1.
The remaining four singles matches were all close contests. Baich bested Bruscemi 6-4, 6-0 in the fourth flight, Duro got past Kollah 6-4, 6-1 at No. 3 and Frost narrowly got the best of Fortier at fifth singles 2-6, 6-0, 10-8. Barbano concluded the evening with her win at second singles.
Slippery Rock returns home for consecutive matches starting 11 a.m. Saturday against regional power West Virginia State at the Slipper Rock Tennis Courts.
