BGSU women’s tennis (8-12, 2-5) faced a tough test against Northern Illinois University (16-8, 2-5) Sunday, where the Falcons ultimately fell 5-2 in Dekalb, Illinois. 

Early struggles in doubles 

Northern Illinois started the day by taking the doubles portion of the contest to earn the match’s first point. 

The pairing of junior Libby Blair and freshman Kiera Taylor dropped their No. 2 doubles match 6-2 to senior Isabella Righi and sophomore Lucia Yecora, while the No. 1 duo of junior Tia Clemens and junior Qianyu Liu fell 6-3 against senior Nataly Ninova and sophomore Theodora Kousiou.

However, the Falcons showed resilience in the No. 3 slot, where sophomore Konstantina Adamopoulou and senior Leticia Fonseca held a 3-3 tie against sophomore Irmak Budak and senior Jenna Horne before their match was marked unfinished. 

Battles in singles 

Northern Illinois carried their momentum into singles play, winning four of the six matchups. 

Despite the team loss, Liu and Fonseca delivered strong showings to secure BGSU’s two points of the day. In the No. 2 singles spot, Liu bounced back after dropping her first set to defeat Kousiou in a three-set battle, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.  

Fonseca also claimed a hard-fought victory over freshman Rebeca Garcia Miralles in the No. 6 matchup. After splitting the first two sets, she prevailed in a grueling third-set tiebreaker to win 6-1, 3-6. 

Several other Falcons fought hard in their respective matchups. In the No. 1 spot, Clemens took her match to three sets, dominating the second set 6-1 before ultimately falling to Budak 7-5, 1-6, 6-2.  

Taylor dropped her No. 3 singles match 6-3, 6-2 against Yecora, while Blair fell 6-4, 6-0 in the No. 4 slot to Ninova. Adamopoulou rounded out the lineup, taking a 6-4, 6-2 loss in her No. 5 match against Horne. 

Up Next 

The Falcons return to action Sunday, April 19, at 1 p.m. as they take on Toledo at home.