RIPON, Wis. -- The Red Hawks women's tennis program (1-2, 0-0 MWC) finished a busy weekend with a 2-5 defeat to Simpson College this Sunday, September 6. Senior
Jessi Griepentrog (Freedom, Wis., Fox Valley Lutheran HS) led the Red Hawks on the day, winning both her matches against the Storm.
The Red Hawks opened the day with a trio of closely contested doubles matches. At the top flight, Griepentrog and partner
Josie Rondestvedt (Altoona, Wis., Altoona HS) found success attacking service returns, rolling to a 6-4 win to give the Red Hawks a one match advantage. However, at two and three doubles, the fatigue of the doubleheader the day before was evident, and the Red Hawks dropped the two and three flights 4-6 in each match.
Down a point going into singles, Griepentrog evened the scoreline with a steady 6-3, 6-4 win, coming up with solid passing shots against a consistently advancing opponent. At the top flight, Rondestvedt fell to her opponent's return game and backhand pressure 6-0, 6-4, five singles freshman
Juliet Barstow (Kennebunk, Me., Kennebunk HS) dropped her flight 6-1, 6-2. Senior
Ella Clark (Columbus, Wis., Columbus HS), competing at six singles, gave the Red Hawks another boost, committing to consistent tennis en route to a 6-2, 6-2 win.
At three singles, junior
Isabella Engstrom (Ripon, Wis., Ripon HS)'s aggressive tennis faltered slightly against low slice pressure from her opponent, losing 6-3, 7-5 as Simpson claimed the meet. Four singles
Emily Bittinger (Shell Rock, Iowa, Waverly-Shell Rock HS) played a marathon match against the Storm, going to a deciding tiebreak third set after split 6-3 first and seconds, but Simpson would come out ahead, taking the match 10-5.
Ripon women's tennis returns to action next week against Concordia Chicago, heading down to Illinois for the match. CUC stands at 0-1 this season, coming off a 0-7 loss to Lawrence University.
