With the two teams tied at three, it was up to senior Christina Ruiz to defeat Minnesota senior Mariana Spilca in No. 5 singles play.
After falling to Spilca the first set 7-6 Ruiz redeemed herself with a 6-1 victory in the second set.
In the final set, Ruiz came back to tie the games and then pulled ahead at 6-5. But Spilca pulled away in the final two games finishing the match 7-6.
“The fight is always there,” coach Jody Bronson said of her team, “but we have to pay attention to little things like executing shots and finishing points.”
Minnesota earned the first team point of the day, winning two of three doubles matches to secure the early lead.
Seniors Ruiz and Rachael Hush were the only pair to pick up a victory in doubles with an 8-4 victory against Minnesota freshman Natallia Pintusava and freshman Yuliana Umanets in the No. 1 position.
Securing the doubles point was key if the Golden Eagles were to win, Bronson said. Singles is a different game than doubles and capitalizing on those doubles matches takes a lot of the pressure off singles, she said.
Junior Olga Fischer, sophomore Kelly Barry and freshman Chelsea Utting all walked away with wins in singles.
Fischer swept the court in No. 1 singles defeating Pintusava, who is ranked No. 51 nationally, with scores of 6-3 and 6-2.
By staying aggressive and remaining consistent, Fischer said, she wanted to play offensively throughout the day.
Barry fought back after losing the first set 2-6, to win 7-6 and 6-4 in the second and third sets at the No. 2 position against Umanets. She said she needs to be more consistent so she doesn’t put herself into must-win sets.
Umanets proved to be a challenge for Barry. Even after the Minnesota freshman injured her right ankle, she still had to fight back in the third set.
“I didn’t feel like I had my best game today,” Barry said. “I really just need to focus on not making errors.”
While junior Paola Calderon won her first set 6-4, Minnesota sophomore Alexa Palen came back 6-4 and forced a third set winning 6-4 again.
Junior Gillian Hush also fell in the No. 4 position to Minnesota junior Magdalena Wiecha (6-4,7-6).
On the other hand, Utting made a comeback win that helped give the women a confidence boost.
After losing the first set 4-6, she finished off sophomore Doron Muravnik 6-4, forcing a third set and winning 7-5.
The women’s next opponent, Iowa State, comes to Helfaer Saturday Feb. 11. In preparation for the Cyclones, Bronson said the team would focus on doubles during practices. If the team can win the doubles point in future matches, then it will put itself in a better position to win more matches.
