KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The John Brown University women's tennis team suffered a season-ending 4-1 loss to fourth-seeded Missouri Valley on Friday morning (April 18) at the Plaza Tennis Center in the Heart of America Athletic tournament quarterfinal round.
The Golden Eagles (10-7) fell behind early as Missouri Valley secured the doubles point with identical 6-1 victories at the first and third flights. Freshmen Ashley Miller and Arianny Sira were defeated at the top doubles position, while sophomores Ana Moreno and Annelise Dunn fell at the third flight. The second doubles match featuring seniors Ellie Swan and Erin Kuykendall went unfinished with JBU trailing 5-3.
In singles play, Missouri Valley extended its lead when Sira dropped a 6-1, 6-0 decision at the third spot. Kuykendall then fell 6-0, 6-1 at the second flight, giving Missouri Valley a commanding 3-0 advantage.
Moreno provided JBU's lone point of the day with a convincing 6-0, 6-4 victory at the fifth slot, bringing the overall score to 3-1. However, the match was decided at the fourth singles position, where Swan battled but ultimately fell 6-4, 7-5 to Deborah Mhizha, sealing the postseason victory for the Vikings.
Two matches remained unfinished, with Miller at the top spot and Dunn at the sixth flight both in the midst of three-set contests when the match was clinched.
At the conclusion of the tournament, Moreno was named to the Heart of America's All-Conference first team while Swan was selected to the second team for a fourth consecutive season.
The Golden Eagles conclude its 2025 campaign with 10 victories, the most since the turn of the millennium.
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