SLU defeats No. 8 Loyola to start busy week

HAMMOND, La. – The Loyola Wolf Pack women's tennis team took a quick break from NAIA competition to play a match at Southeastern Louisiana, the Pack's second NCAA Division-I opponent of the year. Loyola had previously beaten SLU's conference rival Nicholls, but couldn't get past the Lions on Tuesday, with Southeastern taking the match 4-2.

Loyola (6-2, 1-0 SSAC) did start out the match well on Tuesday, winning the doubles point to go up 1-0 heading into singles competition. 

Playing at the No. 3 doubles position, Adele Fereres and Micaela Ponce won their fifth match in a row, 6-2 over SLU's Claudia Di Leonardo and Taisia Bolsova. The doubles point came down to No. 1 singles, where Lucy Carpenter and Chloe Henderson were nearly perfect in a tiebreaker to prevail in their match 7-6 (7-1). 

Playing at the No. 2 spot in singles, Henderson had Loyola's lone win in singles play, though the Pack won a set on five of the six courts. Henderson battled back from down a set to take her match 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. 

Carpenter had a great 6-0 second set to force a third, and Fereres, Avrora Volkova, and Avery Frierson all won the first set in their respective matches, but they couldn't close out the win, as SLU won on courts 1, 3, 4, and 6. 

The Wolf Pack will have several opportunities to bounce back this week at an invitational hosted by fellow New Orleans schools Xavier and Dillard. The four-match NAIA slate starts on Thursday with the Pack facing Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), scheduled for 2 p.m. at Dillard's tennis facility. 

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Results

No. 8 Loyola – 2

Southeastern La. – 4

Doubles
1. #12 Carpenter/Henderson (LOYNO) def. Bierma/Suanarsa (SLU) 7-6 (7-1)
2. Darder/Gomez (SLU) def. Frierson/Leaño (LOYNO) 6-1
3. Fereres/Ponce (LOYNO) def. Bolsova/Di Leonardo (SLU) 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1

Singles
1. Leana Gomez (SLU) def. #11 Lucy Carpenter (LOYNO) 6-4, 0-6, 6-3
2. Chloe Henderson (LOYNO) def. Bente Bierma (SLU) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
3. Claudia Di Leonardo (SLU) def. Micaela Ponce (LOYNO) 6-4, 6-2
4. Panchakarma Suanarsa (SLU) def. Avrora Volkova (LOYNO) 5-7, 6-1, 6-3
5. Adele Fereres (LOYNO) vs. Aitana Darder (SLU) 6-3, 4-6, 5-1
6. Taisa Bolsova (SLU) def. Avery Frierson (LOYNO) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 4, 1, 2, 6