SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – After building a 2-1 lead following doubles play, the Spring Arbor University women's tennis team held on to defeat the University of Saint Francis (Ind.) 5-4 in its season opener on Saturday.

THE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Spring Arbor 5, Saint Francis 4

LOCATION: Western HS

RECORDS: Spring Arbor 1-0 (1-0 CL), Saint Francis 0-2 (0-2 CL)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Spring Arbor grabbed the early advantage with a pair of dominant performances at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. Mary-Kate McShane and Monika Wynne, as well as Emma Joseph and Barbara Haikal, surrendered just two games combined as both teams won by identical 8-1 scores.
• At No. 3 doubles, Saint Francis escaped with a narrow 9-8 victory over Jewell Allen and Brianna VanRavenswaay to avoid the sweep.
• In singles competition, the Cougars got the three points they needed to secure the overall match from the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 spots. Wynne and Haikal, both, earned 6-1, 6-2 wins while Joseph also prevailed in straight sets 6-1, 6-4.

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH BOBBY PRATT

• "I was very proud of our team today. Everyone gave maximum effort as we came out strong in doubles and got the final three points we needed in singles. It's great to see positive payoff for all the hard work our team has put in during the preseason."

UP NEXT

Spring Arbor visits Bethel College (2-1, 1-1 CL) on Tuesday, Sept. 6 beginning at 2:30 p.m. The Cougars will then return home to host Taylor University (4-1, 1-1 CL) on Saturday, Sept. 10 in the first match ever at the new Jones Tennis Complex.

THE RESULTS

Singles

1. Grace Heise (USF) def. Mary-Kate McShane (SAU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
2. Monika Wynne (SAU) def. Taylor Stanchin (USF) 6-1, 6-2
3. Barbara Haikal (SAU) def. Brittany Barger (USF) 6-1, 6-2
4. Emma Joseph (SAU) def. Courtney Witte (USF) 6-1, 6-4
5. Rebecca Faber (USF) def. Brianna VanRavenswaay (SAU) 6-1, 6-2
6. Kaylin Gibson (USF) def. Jewell Allen (SAU) 6-1, 6-3

Doubles

1. McShane / Wynne (SAU) def. Stanchin / Hannah Haas (USF) 8-1
2. Haikal / Joseph (SAU) def. Barger / Faber (USF) 8-1
3. Shelby Richardson / Gibson (USF) def. VanRavenswaay / Allen (SAU) 9-8

Women's Tennis Contact: Chris Bauman | 517-750-6504 | christopher.bauman@arbor.edu
SAU Athletics: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
Women's Tennis: Twitter