BISMARCK, N.D. - Resuming their NSIC schedule with a doubleheader of sorts, the University of Mary Women's Tennis team took on Bemidji State University and the University of Minnesota Crookston today and took a hard-fought split on the matches behind consistent rallies.
 
The Marauders (5-9, 3-6 NSIC) were just edged by the Beavers (10-4, 5-4 NSIC) in the early morning at 5-4 as the number six singles ended up as the deciding factor in the match, but quickly rebounded with a dominant showing from top-to-bottom for the 9-0 sweep over the Golden Eagles (0-13, 0-9 NSIC) in the afternoon.
 
MATCH ONE vs BEMIDJI STATE
 
U-Mary had the momentum in the early goings as the doubles competition featured evenly matched pairs, but the Marauders held on for wins at the number one and three spots for the 2-1 lead going into the singles matches.
 
Sarah Janes and Meredith Holt took on Morgan Opp and Zoe Lindgren at the number one spot in a back-and-forth featuring heavy volleys and strong returns. Yet it was the Marauder duo that eventually won out at 8-6 for the first win of the match. Anastasia Bruss and Monica Benda teamed up to improve their season mark as they overcame Claudia Bellew and Justine Scheller at 8-5 for the second win.
 
Alas, the doubles sweep was just out of reach as the hard-hitting pair of Shaylin Prout and Deanie Hatch got the Beavers on the board with an 8-5 win over Catherine Gibbens and Eileen Leong at the number two doubles to keep the Marauders within striking distance at 2-1 heading into the singles competition.
 
Bemidji State proved more proficient on their own as Opp, Lindgren, and Bellew each took the win at the number three, four, and five singles, respectively. Opp faced Holt and cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win; Lindgren outlasted Bruss at 6-4, 6-3; and Bellew took the 6-4, 6-2 win over Leong for a 4-2 Beaver lead heading into the final three matches.
 
Janes and Gibbens ensured the Marauders stayed close behind as Janes outgunned Prout at the number one spot, 6-4, 6-3, and Gibbens conquered the heavy-handed Hatch at 6-4, 7-5 for a 4-4 team score.
 
Yet it was the sixth singles match to ultimately decide the fate of the match as Shanna Stevenson took on Scheller and fell behind after one set as the Beaver laid claim at 6-2 going into the second set.
 
Stevenson battled back for a 6-4 win in set two to force the super tiebreaker, but Scheller took the deciding set in the deciding match at 10-4 to secure the win for Bemidji State at 5-4.
 
MATCH TWO vs MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
 
The second match of the day played into U-Mary's favor early on as the singles competition took to the court first and returned with a team sweep from one through six.
 
Janes had the closest match of the day as she faced Catherine Brown at the number one spot and held on for the 7-5 decision in the first set, but found her groove and cruised to a 6-0 win in the second set to get the ball rolling. Gibbens followed suit as she took the win at 6-3, 6-0 over Whitney Erickson for a 2-0 U-Mary lead.
 
The remaining singles matches were not as close as Holt defeated Bailey Morris at 6-0, 6-1, Bruss vanquished Reanne Erickson at 6-1, 6-0, and Leong and Stevenson didn't surrender a single point as Leong bested Emily Campbell and Stevenson overwhelmed Tien Nguyen, each at a 6-0, 6-0 clip.
 
Janes and Holt took on Brown and Whitney Erickson at the number one doubles spot, with the Marauder twosome taking the match at 8-2; Gibbens and Leong overcame Morris and Reanne Erickson at the number two spot, 8-1; and the Bruss and Benda combo put the cherry on top of the sweep sundae with an 8-0 decision over Campbell and Nguyen, completing U-Mary's second shutout of the season at 9-0.
 
The Marauders will wrap up their schedule next week as they head out to Winona, Minn., to take on Winona State University on Saturday, April 9, before closing out the season against Upper Iowa University on Sunday, April 10.
 
Bemidji State 5, University of Mary 4
 
Singles competition
1. Janes, Sarah (MARY) def. Prout, Shaylin (BSU) 6-4, 6-3
2. Gibbens, Catherine (MARY) def. Hatch, Deanie (BSU) 6-4, 7-5
3. Opp, Morgan (BSU) def. Holt, Meredith (MARY) 6-1, 6-1
4. Lindgren, Zoe (BSU) def. Bruss, Anastasia (MARY) 6-4, 6-3
5. Bellew, Claudia (BSU) def. Leong, Eileen (MARY) 6-2, 6-4
6. Scheller, Justine (BSU) def. Stevenson, Shanna (MARY) 6-2, 4-6, 10-4
 
Doubles competition
1. Janes, Sarah/Holt, Meredith (MARY) def. Opp, Morgan/Lindgren, Zoe (BSU) 8-6
2. Prout, Shaylin/Hatch, Deanie (BSU) def. Gibbens, Catherine/Leong, Eileen (MARY) 8-5
3. Bruss, Anastasia/Benda, Monica (MARY) def. Bellew, Claudia/Scheller, Justine (BSU) 8-5
 
University of Mary 9, Minnesota Crookston 0
 
Singles competition
1. Janes, Sarah (MARY) def. Brown, Catherine (UMC) 7-5, 6-0
2. Gibbens, Catherine (MARY) def. Erickson, Whitney (UMC) 6-3, 6-0
3. Holt, Meredith (MARY) def. Morris, Bailey (UMC) 6-0, 6-1
4. Bruss, Anastasia (MARY) def. Erickson, Reanne (UMC) 6-1, 6-0
5. Leong, Eileen (MARY) def. Campbell, Emily (UMC) 6-0, 6-0
6. Stevenson, Shanna (MARY) def. Nguyen, Tien (UMC) 6-0, 6-0
 
Doubles competition
1. Janes, Sarah/Holt, Meredith (MARY) def. Brown, Catherine/Erickson, Whitney (UMC) 8-2
2. Gibbens, Catherine/Leong, Eileen (MARY) def. Morris, Bailey/Erickson, Reanne (UMC) 8-1
3. Bruss, Anastasia/Benda, Monica (MARY) def. Campbell, Emily/Nguyen, Tien (UMC) 8-0
 
#marauders#