The Bluffton Beavers women’s tennis team was swept Saturday, in a doubleheader with two of the top teams in the HCAC, Franklin and Anderson. The three-way dual matches were hosted by Anderson, but dominated by Franklin, who soundly defeated both the Beavers and the host Ravens. Bluffton fell to the Grizzlies and the Ravens by scores of 9-0 and 8-1, respectively.
The best performance for the Beavers in their match against Franklin came from the first doubles team of Jenna Liechty and Kara Schrock, who dropped a 9-8 decision, losing 7-3 in the tiebreak. Liechty also saw her modest four-match singles winning streak come to an end against the Grizzlies’ Kelly Vance, the HCAC MVP each of the last three seasons.
The Beavers did pick up one match victory against Anderson, as Lisa Cherry defeated her opponent at the #4 position. Her 6-1, 6-4 win capped a strong performance for the freshman against the Ravens. Cherry also teamed up with Stephanie Keefe in doubles play, as the duo dropped a narrow match to the Ravens’ #2 doubles team, 8-6. The #1 doubles team of Liechty and Schrock also played tough against the Ravens, losing 8-3 in a match where 10 out of the 11 games went to deuce in the game score. Liechty had a similar match in singles, where the final score of 6-1, 6-1 was misleading in a match where 11 of the 14 games played went to deuce.
Bluffton concludes their regular season HCAC play with a 1-6 mark. They currently sit at 2-8 overall, and will play host to Sinclair Community College this Tuesday, before concluding dual match play against the University of St. Francis at home on Saturday.
Singles
#1 – Brittany Zurcher (AU) def. Jenna Liechty (BC); 6-1, 6-1
#2 – Laura Jay (AU) def. Stephanie Keefe (BC); 6-0, 6-1
#3 – Angie Heyne (AU) def. Kara Schrock (BC); 6-0, 6-1
#4 – Lisa Cherry (BC) def. Abby Ervin (AU); 6-1, 6-4
#5 – Amanda Norvell (AU) def. Jenni Blose (BC); 6-4, 6-2
#6 – Mady Beier (AU) def. Julie Harsha (BC); 6-0, 6-0
Doubles
#1 – Zurcher/Jay (AU) def. Liechty/Schrock (BC); 8-3
#2 – Heyne/Bolhus (AU) def. Keefe/Cherry (BC); 8-6
#3 – Norvell/Beier (AU) def. Blose/Harsha (BC); 8-1
Final Score: Anderson 8, Bluffton 1
Bluffton College vs Franklin College, at AU
Singles
#1 – Kelly Vance (FC) def. Jenna Liechty (BC); 6-0, 6-0
#2 – Abby Undercoffer (FC) def. Stephanie Keefe (BC); 6-1, 6-0
#3 – Leslie McAlesse (FC) def. Kara Schrock (BC); 6-0, 6-0
#4 – Erin Weissert (FC) def. Lisa Cherry (BC); 6-0, 6-0
#5 – Molly Linn (FC) def. Jenni Blose (BC); 6-0, 6-1
#6 – Laura Duerstock (FC) def. Julie Harsha (BC); 6-0, 6-0
Doubles
#1 – McAlesse/Duerstock (FC) def. Liechty/Schrock (BC); 9-8 (7-3)
#2 – Weissert/Phillips (FC) def. Keefe/Cherry (BC); 8-0
#3 – Linn/Johnson (FC) def. Blose/Harsha (BC); 8-1
Final Score: Franklin 9, Bluffton 0
