NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Despite a trio of three-set singles matches, the Belmont University women's tennis team fell 6-1 to visiting Drake University in Missouri Valley Conference action Sunday at the Beaman Family Tennis Complex in the Music City. Graduate
Cielo Tapia-Cruz provided the Bruins (2-13, 1-1 MVC) with their lone point of the day with a straight-set win at second singles.
Belmont also took the top doubles spot where the tandem of redshirt freshman
Savannah Webster and sophomore
Jessica Popiol defeated the Bulldogs' Maja Dodik and Jordane Dookie 6-3.
Drake (6-9, 1-1 MVC) took a 1-0 lead in the match with a 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles and a 6-2 triumph at No. 3 doubles.
In singles action, Tapia-Cruz got the Bruins within a point as she dismissed the Bulldogs' Kristina Tai 6-3, 6-4 on court two.
Drake had taken a 2-0 lead with a 6-1, 6-0 win at the sixth singles spot.
The Bulldogs went up 3-1 when Dookie came back from a set down (6-4) against junior
Emma Grant, winning sets two and three 6-1, 6-2.
The match was clinched on court five where Drake's Milana Dejanovic topped senior
Libbie Hamilton, 7-5, 6-4.
Both Webster at the top of the lineup and Popiol at No. 3 singles were edged in tightly-contested third sets. Taking on Dodik, Webster won the opening set in a 7-2 tiebreaker before falling in the second set, 6-2. Dodik won the deciding third by a 6-4 margin. Against the Bulldogs' Shiori Takeda, Popiol recovered from a 7-5 tiebreaker in the first set that went the way of Takeda with an impressive 6-2 second set win. However, Takeda prevailed 7-5 in the final set.
Up Next
Belmont hits the road next weekend, traveling to Illinois State for a late afternoon match Friday before facing Bradley Saturday. First serve Friday against the Redbirds is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. from Normal, Illinois. Saturday's match versus the Braves in Peoria, Illinois, is slated for an 11 a.m. first serve.
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