ANN ARBOR, Michigan – The Utah women’s tennis team took on the Purdue Broilermakers in the last match of the ITA Kickoff and fell 4-2.
“If we play with that fire that we showed at the latter stages of the match we can truly grow into something special,” said head coach Ric Mortera. “Some tough lessons were learned today for all of us and as tough as they are, it could be the best thing for us in the long run. Losing is never easy, but we have to grow from this and I look forward to see how we respond in the coming weeks.”
First to finish in doubles was the No. 2 court where the Broilermakers picked up the win. Next to finish was Emma Kamper and Kaila Barksdale who picked up a 6-4 win in the No. 3 spot. The doubles point came down to the No. 1 singles where Marcela Lopez and Ana Luiza Cruz fell 6-2.
In singles, Utah started things off strong with a win by Sara Akid in the No. 6 spot. She defeated Ashlie Wilson 6-3, 6-0. Kat Lyman followed in suit with a 6-0, 7-6 win over Tara Millic in the No. 5 spot.
Utah had the 2-1 edge but Purde picked up a win in the No. 3 spot over Emma Kamper with 3-6, 3-6 score. Kaila Barksdale was the next to finish in the No. 2 spot. She took her match into three sets and fell 4-6, 6-3, 2-6.
Purdue now had a 3-2 edge over Utah with two matches left to finish. Yuhan Liu battled at court No. 3. Liu dropped the first set 3-6 but she won the second set in a tiebreak 7-6 (3). Her third set went into extra games but Liu couldn’t pull it out and fell 5-7.
Lopez also battled in the No. 1 spot before her match went unfinished. Lopez won the first set in a tiebreak 7-6 (3). She then dropped the second set 5-7. The third set was headed into a tie break at six games all when the Purdue clinched the match and left the action unfinished.
UP NEXT
Utah will return home to host rival BYU on Feb. 9 before hitting the road to take on Denver Feb. 16.
FOLLOW THE UTES
Fans can follow us on social media (Twitter: @UteWomensTennis | Instagram: @UtahWomensTennis | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwomenstennis).
FULL RESULTS
Singles
No. 1 — Csilla Fodor (Purdue) vs. Marcela Lopez (Utah), 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-6 abandoned
No. 2 — Carmen Gallardo (Purdue) d. Kaila Barksdale (Utah), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
No. 3 — Kennedy Gibbs (Purdue) d. Yuhan Liu (Utah), 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-5
No. 4 — Juana…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at University of Utah Athletics…