OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha women's tennis program dropped a 7-0 decision to Air Force in the opening dual match of the season.
"We finally got to start our 2019 campaign and it was a good challenge with Air Force," said head coach
Adam Summitt. "They are a very good team from top to bottom. They pushed us and made us uncomfortable. It was a good test and I wanted to see how we would react in that situation. I thought we played some amazing doubles that were just a point or two short. Looking forward, we will learn from today and apply it Sunday against Northern Iowa."
In a close doubles effort, Air Force picked up the point. The team of
Emily Behling and
Marie Kapelevich fell 6-3 to Elizabeth Barnickel and Nadeen Lieberman at No. 3, while the team of
Natalie Lorentz and
Savanna Crowell were edged, 7-5, at No. 1.
In No. 4 singles, Lorentz narrowly fell to the Falcons' Kristin Kerrigan off a third set tiebreaker. After dropping the opening set (6-0), Lorentz bounced back with a 6-4 victory in the second set. A back-and-forth third set resulted in a 7-6 (5) win for Kerrigan.
At No. 1,
Ines Absisan fell 6-0, 6-4, while
Janelle Wilson (6-2, 6-1), Kapelevich (6-1, 6-2), Crowell (7-5, 6-2) and
Rylee Tucker (6-3, 6-2) all dropped decisions at No. 2, 3, 5, and 6.
The Mavericks return to action this Sunday, Jan. 20, against Northern Iowa. First serve is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Miracle Hill Tennis Center.
