WOMEN’S TENNIS – Forester Feed

The HU women’s tennis team suffered its first loss of the season Saturday afternoon, dropping a tightly contested 4-3 decision to Valparaiso University. Despite the setback, the Foresters showed their depth and competitiveness against the NCAA Division I opponent, taking the doubles point and forcing the match down to the final singles contests.

Huntington opened the afternoon by securing the doubles point with victories at the top two flights. Ashley Bucur and Yariange Bello teamed up for a 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles before Addison Mast and Tiziana Rizzato matched the scoreline at No. 2 doubles. Valparaiso claimed the third doubles match, but the Foresters entered singles play with a 1-0 advantage.

The deciding battles came in singles action where Huntington picked up wins from Mast and Bello. Mast rallied after splitting the first two sets at No. 2 singles, claiming a 10-8 super tiebreaker to secure a hard-fought three-set victory. Bello also rebounded from a first-set setback at No. 4 singles, dominating the second set before prevailing 10-8 in the match tiebreak.

Valparaiso countered with victories at the remaining four singles positions to narrowly claim the team win. While the final score favored the Beacons, the Foresters demonstrated their ability to compete with strong competition, highlighted by taking the doubles point and earning a pair of dramatic three-set singles victories.

Singles
No. 1: Lacey Tanner (VU) def. Tiziana Rizzato (HU) 6-3, 6-2
No. 2: Addison Mast (HU) def. Alexandra Popa (VU) 6-4, 4-6, 10-8
No. 3: Brynn Steven (VU) def. Ashley Bucur (HU) 6-4, 6-2
No. 4: Yariange Bello (HU) def. Jolene Fernandes (VU) 4-6, 6-1, 10-8
No. 5: Andrea Delgado (VU) def. Carolina Rogel Castro (HU) 6-1, 6-1
No. 6: Cathy Beckmann (VU) def. Abigail Beck (HU) 6-1, 6-2

Doubles
No. 1: Bucur/Bello (HU) def. Tanner/Popa (VU) 6-3
No. 2: Mast/Rizzato (HU) def. Steven/Fernandes (VU) 6-3
No. 3: Beckmann/Delgado (VU) def. Rogel Castro/Beck (HU) 6-1

UP NEXT
The Foresters will continue their nonconference schedule next Saturday when they travel to Michigan to take on Davenport University. First serve is slated for 1:00 p.m.