The Billiken women’s tennis team opened the spring season against two tough teams, Kansas and Arkansas, to fall to 0-2 on the year.

The squad traveled to Lawrence, Kan. for the first match, losing 6-1 to the Jayhawks. None of the doubles teams could pull out a win. The senior twin duo of Eleonore Tchakarova and Verginie Tchakarova were defeated, 6-4, in the tightest doubles match of the day.

Freshman Mariluz Rojo Domingo gave the women their lone win in a close third set tiebreaker, winning 6-4, 1-6, 10-4.

Sophomore Ally McKenzie also battled through a third set tiebreaker, only to fall short after winning the first set, 3-6, 6-0, 10-3.

Arkansas proved to be an even tougher team, handing SLU a 7-0 loss. The Tchakarova sisters were defeated in doubles again, 6-4, and the other teams could not find a win to get the doubles point.

However, the singles matches proved that the Billikens were not going to go down without a fight. Eleonore Tchakarova lost in a third set tiebreaker, 3-6, 7-5, 13-11. McKenzie again endured a tiebreaker, dropping the decision, 6-4, 3-6, 10-6. Domingo, too, was unsuccessful in her tiebreaker, losing 4-6, 6-3, 10-7.

The women will be back in action in O’Fallon, Ill. at St. Clair Tennis Club to take on SEMO at 11:45 a.m. on Feb. 1. The Bills are looking for their first win of the season and are planning to do just that on their home courts.