Naperville, Ill.- In a closely contested matchup against the Cardinals of North Central College, the DePauw women's tennis team fell 7-2 on the road. The Tigers fall to 1-8 for the season, while the Cardinals improve to 15-0.
 
North Central got on the board first after Abigail Penados, and Natalie Bassett beat Sonal Matta and Kiley Shaw 8-6 on court one. The Tigers came roaring back to take a 2-1 lead after Ellen Gardner and Kat Wilder beat Kensington Payne and Nina Patience 8-7 on court two, and Valerie Doherty and Alex Preston defeated Mikayla Edquiban and Kayla McSweeney 8-6 on court three.
 
Unfortunately for the Tigers, the Cardinals managed to sweep the singles matches. Despite being swept, three courts went to tie-breakers to determine the winner. North Central's Payne tied the score at two after beating Doherty 6-0, 6-1 on court three. The Cardinals took the lead after Edquiban on court four defeated Franny Werner 6-1, 6-1. On court five, Bella DeNardo fell to Patience 6-3, 6-2, giving North Central a 4-2 advantage over DePauw.
 
The final three wins were all tie-breaking wins for the Cardinals. On court one, Gardner won the first set 6-2 but dropped the second and third sets to Penados 7-5, 6-2. North Central's Bassett defeated Matta 4-6, 7-6, 6-0 on court two, and McSweeney completed the Cardinals singles match sweep after beating Preston 3-6, 6-0, 7-5 on court six.
 
The Tigers' next match is Saturday, March 11, in Oberlin, Ohio, where they will take on the Yeowomen of Oberlin College at 11 a.m.