Hillsdale's women's tennis team battled but couldn't extend its winning streak to three straight matches on Saturday night, falling to a solid Grand Valley State team on the road, 6-1.
Although the final score doesn't show it, the Chargers were in the match to the end with a real chance at victory. Hillsdale came very close to taking the doubles point to start the match, with the Chargers' No. 1 doubles team of Sarah Hackman and Melanie Zampardo earning a 6-4 victory, and Hillsdale's No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams falling by tight 7-5 and 6-4 margins, respectively.
In singles play, Libby McGivern pulled out a thrilling three-set victory over Anna Soteras of Grand Valley State at No. 4 singles for the Chargers, rallying from a 6-2 first set loss to win the second set 6-4 and a third-set super tiebreak 10-7. Hillsdale's Ellie Chawner also pushed her opponent to at No. 5 singles to three sets, falling by a close 10-6 margin in the super tiebreak as well.
The Chargers are now 3-4 on the season and next travel to metro Detroit to take on one of the top teams in the Midwest Region on an annual basis, Wayne State, for a 2 p.m. match on Saturday, March 4.
Photo by Isabella Sheehan