GRANTHAM, PA. – The Messiah women's tennis team dropped a heartbreaking 4-5 defeat at the hands of the Alvernia Golden Wolves this afternoon. The Falcons were able to win court three doubles from Tozzi and Lee and picked up three singles wins from Nicole Lee and Angela Tozzi once again in addition to Kylie Walker.
 
The Falcons are back on Criste Courts in two days when they host Hood College at 3:30 PM.
 
From the Baseline
The Golden Wolves attacked early and often, downing Sheaffer/Walker at No. 2 doubles without surrendering a game in the 8-0 sweep. The reverse can be said on court three, where Tozzi/Lee cruised to an 8-1 win to even up the score line at 1-1.
 
It would be a battle on court one doubles where the team of Conjack/Heckman would take Alvernia to the limit during the match. After trailing 2-5, the Falcons earned a break and a hold to cut the deficit to one at 4-5. Alvernia answered with a break and hold of their own generating a 7-4 advantage. But it was Conjack/Heckman who rallied back fighting off multiple match points to bring the deficit back to within one at 6-7. After a break of Bouchard's service game, the pro-set was headed to a tiebreak.
 
The teams traded leads early on until Alvernia pulled away late to take the tiebreak 7-4 and the match 8-7(4). Alvernia would take a 2-1 lead into singles.
 
Singles
First, Kasi Conjack fell on court one 0-6, 1-6 while the Falcons found success on courts five and six, taking them both to even up the overall match score at three-all. No. 5 Nicole Lee won 6-3, 6-0 while Angela Tozzi didn't drop a game in her 6-0, 6-0 win on court six.
 
The match would come down to the final courts with both teams fighting until the end. Court four was next to finish with Rebekah Sheaffer losing 3-6 3-6 for Alvernia's fourth point of the afternoon. Courts two and three would end simultaneously, with Isabella Heckman falling on court three 1-6, 3-6 while Kylie Walker prevailed in her match winning 6-1, 6-3.  
 
When it was all said and done, the Golden Wolves would take the match 5-4.
 
Up Next
The loss takes the Falcons record to 5-8 and drops their conference mark to 2-3. Another conference opponent awaits in the Hood College Blazers on Wednesday, April 19 at 3:30 PM. That match will be held in Grantham, Pa. on Criste Courts. Also of note, the seniors will be celebrated for the senior festivities.