The Hillsdale College women's tennis team had moments of strong play in a hard-fought, back-and-forth match against Purdue Northwest in its spring opener on Saturday in the Biermann Center.
Despite taking an early lead, however, Hillsdale was unable to come out on top in a 4-2 loss to the Pride.
The Chargers got off to an excellent start in doubles, winning at both No. 1 and No. 3 doubles to secure the doubles point and take a 1-0 lead in the match. Hillsdale's regionally ranked doubles pairing of Melanie Zampardo and Megan Hackman, who ended the fall ranked seventh in the Midwest, opened the spring campaign with a 6-4 win at No. 1 doubles over Purdue Northwest. Junior Libby McGivern and senior Helana Formentin also got a victory for the Chargers at No. 3 doubles, rallying from an early deficit to win 6-3 over the Pride's team.
In singles play however, despite long rallies and close sets, Hillsdale couldn't duplicate its doubles success, as Purdue Northwest won four of the five completed singles matches to secure the victory. McGivern won Hillsdale's lone singles point at No. 3 singles for the Chargers, winning 6-3, 6-2 over Daniela Rubio of Purdue Northwest to complete an undefeated day.
Hillsdale (0-1) will look to bounce back from the loss tomorrow, Sunday, as the Chargers travel to the MVP Sportsplex in Grand Rapids to battle Davenport in a regional match. Hillsdale will take the court at the conclusion of the men's tennis match between the Chargers and Panthers, slated to begin at 9:15 a.m.
Photo by Isabella Sheehan