"I was really proud of the players today," said Illinois coach Michelle Dasso.,”The No. 75 Marquette women's tennis team dropped a hard-fought battle 6-1 to No. 33 Illinois Saturday morning at the Helfaer Tennis Center. It was a day of frustration and long faces for the Golden Eagles, who didn't come out with energy.

"I was really proud of the players today," said Illinois coach Michelle Dasso. "You can't take Marquette for granted."

It was a long day for Marquette, who looked overpowered at times.

"They showed us what our weaknesses are and what we have to work on," said Marquette coach Jody Bronson.

The match of the day came early on in No. 1 doubles, as the combination of Paola Calderon and Kylie Moore dropped an 8-7 heartbreaker in a thrilling contest. Down 5-0 to the Illini duo of Leigh Finnegan and Chelcie Abajian, Marquette battled back to force a tiebreaker but couldn't engineer the win.

"We took an early lead and relaxed a bit," said Finnegan. "Then we buckled down and got the win."

Finnegan then handled Calderon in No. 1 singles, not relinquishing a single game.

"(Calderon) is a strong player, but she wasn't on her best game today," Finnegan said of the freshman ace.

Even freshman Olga Fischer, who came into the game winning her last 10 matches, couldn't muster a win, dropping 2-6, 3-6. Afterward, she tried to remain optimistic.

"I'm looking forward to starting another streak," Fischer said.

Marquette's lone triumph of the day came from sophomore Kylie Moore, who took the point in No. 5 singles. Still recovering from a leg injury, Moore was visibly uncomfortable at times, but kept battling.

"We just don't what we're going to get out of her," Bronson said. "But I do know that when she gets on the court, she's going to fight."

With ice-packs on both knees, Moore was all smiles afterward, and felt optimistic about her leg.

"It's holding up," she said.

Marquette doesn't have much time to regroup after the loss, as they play bright and early tomorrow morning against conference rival Connecticut.

"We have to regroup," Bronson said. "This match is over and done with and we need to be energized for UConn."

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