SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The John Brown University women's tennis team nearly pulled off a road victory in its season opener, but the Golden Eagles fell in a close 4-3 matchup at Evangel (Mo.) on Tuesday (Feb. 23) afternoon at the Cooper Tennis Complex.
Evangel earned the doubles point by taking the second and third flights by a similar 6-2 score. Sydney Smith and freshman Abigail Woodring combined for a 6-3 win at the top flight, moving to 1-0 on the season.
"It's hard to lose such a closer season opener, but I'm excited to face Evangel again later this season," head coach Mike Campbell admitted. "Abigail deserves a game ball – after dropping her first set, she bounced back to convincingly win the second set and then the tiebreak. I'm also proud of Sydney for leading us well."
Smith and Woodring kept their momentum into singles play. Smith dispatched Ana Bjelica, 6-2, 6-3, while Woodring neutralized a 6-1 first-set loss with a 6-1 second-set win, forcing the third-set tiebreak. Woodring held on 10-8, solidifying her first collegiate singles win.
At No. 5, Hayvnn Prude made quick work of 6-3, 6-0, but setbacks at three, four and six allowed the Crusaders to improve to 2-1 on the season.
The Golden Eagles return to action on Thursday (Feb. 25) at NCAA II Arkansas Tech. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Chartwells Women's Sports Complex in Russellville.
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