Contact: Emily Adlfinger, Director of Athletic Communications, 563-588-7970

WINONA, Minn. (Feb. 19, 2022) – The Loras College women's tennis team (8-5) opened the spring season with a pair of matches on Saturday, defeating the University of Wisconsin-Superior (1-5), 6-3, to open the day but fell 8-1 at the hands of Saint Mary's University (Minn.) (4-1) in the evening match.

Against the Yellowjackets, Loras started with a 2-1 lead after doubles with Sara Backus and Dorothy Deans defeating Katlyn Syverson and Shelby Hanson, 8-1 at the No. 2 position and Clair Moore and Arizona State University transfer Leia Papanicholas won the No. 3 match against Kallie Olson and Grace Nelson, 8-1. UW-Superior won the No. 1 and 2 singles matches but the Duhawks swept the next four with Backus defeating Hanson, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 4 and Deans defeating Olson, 6-2, 6-4 at No. 6. Papanicholas added a 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 5 against Lainey Zurn and Caroline Hutchinson, a local transfer from Wartburg College, posted her first win as a Duhawk with a 6-0, 6-2 rout of Chiyono Owa at No. 3 singles. Moore won her match against Syverson at No. 2 in the tiebreaker, taking the first set, 6-3, before rebounding from a second-set loss to take the third, 10-2.

The Duhawks started the match against Saint Mary's down 3-0 despite a close contest at the No. 2 spot for Deans and Backus and the Cardinals continued the momentum into singles action. Hutchinson scored the lone win for the Duhawks at No. 3, defeating Maggie Frye 7-5, 6-4.

Loras is back in action on Saturday, Feb. 5 at St. Norbert College. Match time is set for 2:30 P.M.