Panthers blanked in Edwardsville

Bob Reynolds, Sports Editor

The Eastern women’s tennis team had its six-match winning streak snapped Wednesday afternoon at the hand of the Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Cougars.

The Cougars defeated the Panthers, 7-0, dropping the Panthers record to 3-2 in conference play. The Panthers overall record drops to 8-4.

Junior Ali Foster lost a singles match for the first time since the first match of the regular season. She was riding a 10-match winning streak until Wednesday.

Sophomore Mia Frogner defeated Foster in three sets 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. Foster is now 10-2 in singles matches this season and was nominated for Ohio Valley Conference Female Athlete of the Week this week for tennis.

She ranks seventh in the OVC in total wins overall.

The Panthers did not gain the doubles point for the second time in three matches as they were swept in the three matches.

The Panther doubles pair of freshman Grace Summers and senior Sephora Boulbahaiem lost to Frogner and senior Kali Donner 8-7, (8-6).

Foster and junior Hannah Kimbrough lost to Cougar sophomores Lexi Aranda and Sierra Halverson 8-4.

Aranda and Halverson are undefeated in OVC play at 5-0.

Junior Kelly Iden and sophomore Kamile Stadalninkaite took Edwardsville senior’s Haley Ilcewicz and Monique Krutak to a tiebreaker but lost 8-7 (7-5).

In other singles matches, Iden was defeated in straight sets 6-1, 6-2 by Aranada.  Krutak got her seventh victory in a row in singles matches by defeated Summers in straight sets 6-2, 6-0.

Boulbahaiem was defeated in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 by Donner.

Kimbrough defeated Halverson in the first set 6-3, but lost the last two 6-0, 10-4. In the final singles match, Ilcewicz defeated Stadalninkaite 6-1, 6-0.

The Panthers rank third in the conference as a team with a 3-1 record in the conference and are behind Morehead State, who is 3-0, and Eastern Kentucky , who is also 3-0.

Eastern will be back in action in Friday as it heads to Tennessee-Martin to take on the Skyhawks at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks are fifth in the conference with a 2-1 record.

The Panthers have five matches left on their schedule, which include two matches at Darling Courts on Apr. 10 and Apr. 11 against Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky.

Bob Reynolds can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].