LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine women's tennis team opened its spring season at home on Saturday, and the Knights dropped a pair of heart-breaking matches at the Eddie Weber Tennis Complex.

Bellarmine fell by a final score of 4-3 versus North Dakota in the morning dual, preceding a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Western Kentucky in the afternoon. 

"Heart-breaking losses today, but I couldn't be more proud of these ladies," Knights Head Coach Brian Slack said.  "We started out slow in doubles against North Dakota and it cost us the overall loss.  We battled and had opportunities to still win singles, but North Dakota played better in the big points.  Against Western Kentucky, we really bounced back and played good doubles.  We controlled everything in doubles from the first point to the last.  We were on the brink of the win in singles, but hats off to WKU for competing at the level needed to win that match."

In the first match of the day, Bellarmine's lone doubles win came from Ekaterina Tikhonko and Vendula Kryslova who toppled Sapir Sela and Andrea Jansson 6-2.  North Dakota ultimately earned the doubles point, however, with victories in the no. 2 and no. 3 positions.

Tikhonko also claimed a win in her no. 1 singles match, besting Sela 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.  Kryslova picked up her first spring victory at no. 3 singles, with a 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 win over Nore Heinitz.  Bellarmine's other point came from no. 5 singles, where Hanley Riner defeated Jule Shulte 7-5, 3-6, 1-0.

With the doubles point and singles wins at no. 2, no. 4, and no. 6, North Dakota took home the win.

The Knights flipped the doubles result in their afternoon match against Western Kentucky.  Tikhonko and Kryslova won yet again, this time beating Sayda Hernandez and Paolo Cortez 6-3 in the no. 1 position.  Lailaa Bashir and Cydney Rogers captured their first doubles win of the spring with a 6-3 win at the no. 3 spot against Samantha Martinez and Sofia Blanco.  Channing Varnum and Riner were well on their way to a no. 3 doubles win, leading 5-2, but their match went unfinished.

In singles action, Tikhonko completed her undefeated day with a comeback win over Cortez – 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 at no. 1.  Kryslova also went unbeaten in doubles and singles, handling Blanco in no. 3 singles 6-1, 6-3.   WKU made up its ground in the other singles matches, however, with wins at the no. 2, no. 4, no. 5 and no. 6 positions.  Shu Grosso battled at no. 6 singles for Bellarmine, but fell to Mariana Zegada in three sets - 6-2, 1-6, 6-4.

"We will get back at it on Monday for our match at IU," Slack aded.  "This is going to be an exciting season with this group!"

Bellarmine's next match is scheduled for Monday at Indiana, with the action beginning at 4:00 p.m. in Bloomington. 

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