The women’s tennis team entered the Atlantic 10 Tournament with hopes of finishing the season on a high note. The Billikens entered play as the tournament’s seventh seed, drawing a first-round match-up with tenth-seeded Dayton.
The Bills bounced the Flyers to open A-10 Tournament play for the second straight year. The Bills started strong in doubles play, sweeping all three of the matches and grabbing the crucial point.
Senior Katerina Lozanova got the ball rolling, claiming a decisive victory at the No. 1 singles spot (6-2, 6-0). Fellow senior Ana Renda followed suit at the No. 2 singles position, overwhelming her opponent in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, and giving the Billikens a 2-0 advantage.
Juniors Tara Grant (DNF) and Rachel McCullagh (1-6, 3-6) both struggled at the No. 3 and No. 4 singles positions and gave the Flyers a slim ray of hope. Sophomore Jo Becker gave the Bills a clutch victory at the No. 5 singles position with a strong 6-1, 6-0 victory that put Dayton on the brink of elimination.
Fellow sophomore Caitlin Bokulic sealed the win for the Bills, claiming the No. 6 singles position, when her opponent retired in the third set. The Bills advanced to face the tournament’s second seed, the Richmond Spiders.
The Billikens struggled early and often against a talented Richmond team. After being swept in the doubles matches, singles play provided little relief. Lozanova (4-5, 5-6 DNF) and Renda (2-6, 1-6) fell at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions.
The Spiders clinched the team victory when Grant (0-6, 4-6) and McCullagh (0-6, 0-6) fell for the second straight day at the No. 3 and No. 4 positions.
Becker and Bokulic put the Billikens on the board after their opponents failed to finish their matches. The Bills garnered their first loss in the double-elimination tournament and moved on to face Duquesne.
The Dukes handled the Billikens for the second time this season, clinching the match early, by a score of 4-1.
After Grant and Lozanova won at the No. 1 doubles position (8-4), the No. 2 team of Becker and Renda fell (6-8). The No. 3 doubles team of McCullagh and freshman Allison Dobbins was also defeated (4-8), and the Dukes had a 1-0 lead.
Lozanova got the team off to a hot start, taking the No. 1 singles victory (5-7, 6-2 [10-7]). From that point, Renda fell at the No. 2 spot (DNF), Grant lost at the No. 3 spot (DNF) and McCullagh dropped her third singles contest of the tournament (0-6, 4-6).
Becker (3-6, 2-6) and Bokulic (6-7, 1-7) also dropped their matches, but the Dukes had already clinched the victory and eliminated the Billikens from the tournament. The Billikens concluded their season with a record of 13-15.
