The Hillsdale College women's tennis team concluded its Spring Break trip to Florida by testing itself against one of the top teams country, third-ranked Nova Southeastern, in a match on Monday afternoon.
The Chargers, ranked 44th in the nation in the most recent ITA poll, fought hard to hang with the Sharks but ultimately Nova Southeastern was too much in a 7-0 Hillsdale defeat.
The Sharks showed their quality as a legitimate NCAA DII national title contender, winning all nine contested matches in straight sets, but Hillsdale did have a couple of strong showings. Sophomore Courtney Rittel pushed her opponent, Nova Southeastern's Eva Goncharov, to the limit in a 7-5, 6-4 defeat at No. 5 singles, and senior Ellie Chawner also took a set to 6-4 for the Chargers in a loss to Fatima Bhzukova at No. 5 singles.
The match is a good final tune-up for the Chargers as it enters a crucial set of matches this weekend to open G-MAC play. Hillsdale faces off against both of the teams that reached the G-MAC Tournament final last season, Tiffin and Findlay, on the road this weekend in two contests that will be critical to all three teams' hopes of winning the G-MAC regular season title.
Photo by Isabella Sheehan