MARYVILLE, Mo. – Fort Hays State Tennis saw its eight-match win streak snapped on Friday (Mar. 28), but they gave Northwest Missouri State a competitive match in their MIAA opener. The Tigers fell by a score of 5-2, but
Irina Alfonso knocked off a nationally ranked opponent in her singles match and joined
Suzana Faucz as Tigers to go 2-0 on the day in singles and doubles. FHSU is now 9-3 overall and 0-1 in the MIAA, while NWMSU went to 6-6 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA.
The Tigers gave the Bearcats a scare in doubles play, but the Bearcats ultimately grabbed the first team point of the match by winning two of three contests. Alfonso and Faucz battled to a 7-6 win in their doubles contest, winning a tiebreaker 8-6. The No. 3 match with the team of
Ines Latorre and
Yone Pereiro also was a 7-6 decision, but they fell 7-3 in the tiebreaker. The No. 1 team of
Janae Montoya and
Shreethika Vangala fell 6-1.
At the No. 2 position, Alfonso knocked off one of Northwest Missouri State's two nationally ranked singles players. She defeated Alva Norberg, ranked No. 57 in the ITA Rankings, in straight sets 6-3, 6-2. Faucz played the longest singles contest at the No. 3 position and pulled out a three-set win over Polina Gontaryk 2-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-4). Alfonso and Faucz picked up FHSU's two team points with their wins.
The No. 4 singles match featuring
Yone Pereiro and Anne Carvalho Pereira was also close early on as the first set was decided by a tiebreak. Pereira of NWMSU won the match by scores of 7-6 (7-2), 6-0. Vangala fell at No. 1 to the No. 46 ranked singles player, Marielena Muench, 6-0, 6-2. At No. 5,
Bethan Gill fell 6-3, 6-0, and at No. 6
Grace Unruh fell 6-1, 6-3.
In exhibition contests, Gill and Unruh won a doubles match 6-2, while
Ines Steeman fell in a singles match 8-5.
Fort Hays State will play at Missouri Western on Saturday at 11 a.m. in St. Joseph in their second conference match of the weekend.
