The Hillsdale College women's tennis team fought hard against a ranked foe and nearly pulled the upset, but came up just short by the slimmest of margins in a 4-3 loss to host Findlay on Sunday.
There were two swing points in an extremely tight match. The Chargers' team of Canela Luna and Sophia Spinazze earned a 6-3 win at No. 2 doubles, while the Oilers took a 6-1 victory at No. 3 doubles, meaning that what ended up being the match-deciding doubles point came down to a 7-5 thriller at No. 1 doubles that just barely went the way of the Oilers.
Although down 1-0, Hillsdale nearly came all the way back to claim the match in singles play against tough competition, winning three flights. Senior Sarah Hackman took an impressive 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 1 singles over Findlay's Elina Ivanova, while Melanie Zampardo and Sophia Spinazze each won hard-fought three set thrillers as well for Hillsdale. Zampardo picked up a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win over Findlay's Samantha Sweet at No. 3 singles, while Spinazze claimed a 6-0, 2-6, 7-6 victory over Findlay's Madison Arquette at No. 5 singles thanks to a 7-4 tiebreak victory.
The Chargers just couldn't find the fourth singles victory they needed to pull out the match. Junior Canela Luna came the closest in a hard fight with Findlay's Zuzanna Krygier at No. 4 singles, as Luna went to three sets but fell in a tight 6-4, 3-6, 3-6 match. Findlay also took victories at No. 2 and No. 6 singles to secure the four points it needed to clinch the match.
While Hillsdale drops to 7-8 overall and 3-2 after the loss, a strong performance against a tough Findlay squad will give Hillsdale encouragement heading into the final week of the season. The Chargers still need one more victory to lock up a spot in the G-MAC Tournament and will get the opportunity to secure it on Friday, April 15 with a trip to play Ursuline.
Photo by Anthony Lupi