The women’s tennis team dropped home matches against G-MAC rivals this weekend. 

The undefeated Findlay University Oilers swept the Chargers in a 4-0 final on April 12, followed by a 6-1 loss to the Tiffin University Dragons. 

“This past weekend was definitely not the highlight of the season,” freshman Ane Dannhauser said. “We expected the matches to be tough, because they are the top 2 teams in the conference, and it was a fight to the end.” 

The competition began with doubles matches, with senior Helana Formentin and junior Libby McGivern claiming a  7-5 victory in the No. 3 position.

Having captured the first two singles matches, the Oilers countered this win and claimed the singles point overall. 

In singles play, the Oilers swept the first three matches at No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 singles. Formentin, at No. 4 singles, initially took the lead by winning the first set 7-5 against her opponent but fell  6-2, 6-1 in the subsequent sets. 

Even with their early losses, Hillsdale was ahead in all three unfinished singles flights, with McGivern leading 5-3 in the third set at No. 3, and both junior Courtney Rittel and sophomore Isabella Spinazze holding early leads in their respective No. 5 and No. 6 singles matches.

Hillsdale took on the nationally ranked No. 24 Tiffin Dragons on April 13. 

“I honestly think Friday was like a warm-up for Saturday, because on Saturday we just came out stronger,” Dannhauser said. “The emotions were also running high and everyone was determined to make senior day count. Against Tiffin, who has barely lost a match this entire season, we put up one hell of a fight.” 

The match took place during Senior Day, where the Chargers celebrated seniors Julia Wagner, Melanie Zampardo, and Formentin in their final home match. 

“Playing my first match back against Tiffin felt good,” Wagner said, “but playing on our home courts for the last time felt very bittersweet. Everyone fought until the end and with a few more wins the match could’ve gone our way.”

The Chargers forced five sets into tiebreaks, ultimately losing four, as Tiffin secured the match 6-1.

At No. 3 doubles, Formentin and McGivern notched a 7-5 win, but Tiffin clinched the remaining doubles tiebreaks at No. 1 and No. 2.  In singles play, while Zampardo and Wagner each forced a tiebreak, Tiffin ultimately prevailed in five of the six singles flights. 

The Chargers’ only singles point came from Dannhauser at No. 1 singles, who overcame Tiffin’s player in a 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 tiebreak.

“My singles match was super long and the wind made it extremely challenging,” Dannhauser said, “but somehow I managed to win it. It still feels unreal to be honest, but I’m happy the weekend ended on a good note.”

Now holding a 7-12 overall record and 4-3 in G-MAC play, the Chargers will face  Ursuline College on April 20 and Walsh College on April 21. These matches are crucial for securing a spot in the upcoming G-MAC Tournament.

“I thought this past weekend was very positive. I know we keep saying that it’ll be easy to get a flip on the score, but we really were so close to flipping the score in our favor,” Zampardo said. “There were so many just really tight matches, and it was good for us to see just how closely we can compete with these highly ranked teams.”