The Oglethorpe women's tennis lost to No. 12 Sewanee on Saturday, falling to the Tigers 9-0 in Sewanee, Tenn. The Petrels fought hard but their nationally-ranked opponent was just two strong on the day.
The Petrels had a tough time during doubles, losing all three matches to allow Sewanee to go up 3-0 heading into singles play. Oglethorpe's No. 1 doubles team of junior Katherine Walker and freshman Caroline Johnson fell to the No. 10 doubles team in the nation in an 8-0 decision. Juniors MaryAnne Hafen and Marcail McGranahan lost to Clementina Davila and Hastings Johnson in the No. 2 8-2, while sophomore Ingrid Wilcox and freshman Halley Sickling battled until falling to the Sewanee No. 3 team 8-5. The doubles sweep gave Sewanee a substantial lead as the singles matches approached and the Petrels were faced with an uphill climb.
Singles proved to be just as difficult a test as doubles for Oglethorpe as they were also swept in the singles matches by the Tigers, 6-0. Johnson picked up an injury in the doubles match, so had to be scratched from her customary No. 1 singles position. Katherine Walker took her place and lost to No. 15 Bronte Goodhue in a straight-set shutout 6-0, 6-0. McGranahan, playing in the No. 2 spot with the lineup shift, fell 6-1, 6-2 in her match. Wilcox was shutout in her 6-0, 6-0 loss at No. 3, Hafen lost to Tiger No. 4 Clementina Davila 6-0, 6-2 and No. 5 Halley Sickling fell to Taylor Childress 6-0, 6-1. Freshman Deanna Walls got some experience in at No. 6 and was competitive in the second set of her match, but lost 6-0, 7-5.
"Sewanee showed why they are the No. 12 team in the country today," said Head Coach Peter Howell. "We just didn't have the firepower and consistency to hang with these girls. We tried our best, kept our composure, and had a good attitude after the match. We'll put this one behind us quickly and get ready for Centre tomorrow."
The 9-0 loss to No. 12 Sewanee puts the Petrels at 6-13 overall this season and 0-6 in SAA play. The team will play their last match of the regular season Sunday in Danville, Ky., at 9 a.m.
