BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- The WKU women's tennis team finished their trip to Florida on a two-game skid, losing to Boston (6-4) and FIU (6-5) in Miami. The Lady Toppers lost 6-1 to Boston on Wednesday and 7-0 to FIU on Thursday afternoon.
The only WKU win against Boston came at No. 2 where Tereza Hejlova defeated Lauren Davis in a close match. Hejlova won the first set, 6-3. Then Davis came back to win the second set, 6-4. In the third set, it was all Hejlova and she came away with the victory. Andreanna Christopoulou also found herself in a close match with Iryna Kostirko. Christopoulou won the first set, 6-3, but Kostirko won the next two to get the win.
In doubles, Hejlova and Elpida Malamou went to battle against Davis and Madison Craft but came out on the losing end, 7-5. Gabby Crofford and Maddy Phillips lost the other doubles match to Kim McCallum and Kostirko, 6-2.
On Thursday, fellow Conference USA member FIU hosted the Lady Toppers in Miami. The Panthers handed WKU its worst loss on the season, beating the Lady Toppers, 7-0. Tereza Hejlova and Andreanna Christopoulou once again had close singles matches but they could not close out with a win. Hejlova faced Carlotta Orlando at the No. 2. The first set easily went to Orlando, 6-2, but Hejlova fought back to take the second set to extra points. Hejlova could not hang on and lost to Orlando, 7-6 (7-5). Christopoulou also took a set to extra points against Nina Nagode, but lost and then dropped the second set as well.
Emilia Granstrom and Christopoulou suffered their first loss in doubles all season against Yana Koroleva and Nagode, 6-2. Orlando and Valentine Briceno defeated Crofford and Phillips, 6-1, to give the Panthers the doubles point.
WKU is now 5-6 on the season and 1-2 in conference play. The Lady Toppers will not face another Conference USA opponent until the conference tournament in April hosted by Rice.
The Lady Toppers will next travel to Nashville, Tenn. to take on Lipscomb on Monday, March 16.
For more information on WKU Tennis, visit WKUSports.com or follow the tennis team via social media @WKUTennis on Twitter and on Facebook at facebook.com/WKUAthletics.
