After winning nine out of 10 matches, Texas State women’s tennis (9-5, 3-3 Sun Belt Conference) dropped consecutive conference matches away from home last week to the University of Marshall (15-6, 6-1 Sun Belt Conference) and Appalachian State University (11-6, 5-2 Sun Belt Conference).
Match one: Texas State v.s. Marshall
Texas State came out on the wrong side of its match, with Marshall falling by a final tally of 7-0. This was the Bobcats’ first time being shut out in a match this season.
Doubles
On court one, juniors Sofia Fortuno and Maria Lora dropped their match 6-1, while on court two, seniors Mae McCutcheon and Jadeh Chan fell in their match 6-3, allowing the Thundering Herd to secure the doubles point.
Singles
On court three, sophomore Emily Niers lost in consecutive sets 6-1, 6-2. Lora was also defeated in straight sets on court six, dropping both of her sets 6-3 to give Marshall a 3-0 advantage.
Marshall claimed the last point needed to secure the victory after senior Kiana Graham lost in straight sets 6-1, 7-5.
The Bobcats dropped every match on the day en route to their 7-0 defeat, including graduate student Callie Creath, who lost for the first time in conference play and only her third time all season.
Match two: Texas State v.s. Appalachian State
Texas State fell to Appalachian State 4-1 last Saturday, losing their second in as many matches on the week. This dropped the Bobcats to .500 in conference play.
“It was pretty tough conditions today. [It was] very windy, and we just weren’t tough enough,” Texas State Head Coach Kendall Brooks said. “[We] fought and competed but came up short. This one is disappointing, but we have to bounce back and try to finish strong at home the next two weeks.”
Doubles
McCutcheon and Chan dropped the first match of the day for the Bobcats 6-1, but Fortuno and Lora were quickly able to even the score in the second match after winning 7-5.
The doubles point hinged on Niers and graduate student Emma Carr as they were set to play the final match. In a hard-fought match, Niers and Carr ultimately fell short in a tiebreaker 7-6 (7), allowing the Mountaineers to steal the doubles point and go up 1-0.
Singles
Sophomore Andrea Pineda gave the Bobcats their first point of the afternoon, winning consecutive sets both by scores of 6-2. Pineda became the first member of the team to reach double-digit singles wins on the season.
Both Fortuno and Niers were defeated in straight sets in their respective matches, allowing App State to take a 3-1 lead in points.
Graham fell in straight sets 6-2, 6-3, giving App State the final point they needed to secure the victory over the Bobcats.
After a long road stint of four consecutive matches away from home, The Bobcats will finally return to San Marcos this coming week for two matches.
Texas State is set to host the University of Troy (10-6, 4-2 Sun Belt Conference) at 11 a.m. Friday, April 5, followed by Georgia State University (5-12, 1-5 Sun Belt Conference) at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 7, at Bobcat Tennis Complex.
