Hawks drop match against Mercyhurst

The IUP women's tennis team fell to Mercyhurst, its first PSAC West opponent of the season, Wednesday in Erie for its second straight loss.

The 7-2 loss at the hands of the Lakers (16-3, 1-0) comes after the news that the Crimson Hawks (10-4, 0-1) climbed to the No. 2 spot in the region and No. 38 in the national rankings.

Mercyhurst came into the match as the No. 6 team in the region.

"They were able to use the home court advantage a little bit," said IUP Head Coach Larry Peterson. "In a tight, tense, close match, that can make a difference."

The lone wins for the Crimson Hawks came from Kelly McBryan at No. 5 singles and Emilia Osborne/Alex Ballard at No. 3 doubles.

McBryan beat Mercyhurst's Jenna Raynor, 6-4, 6-1, while Osborne/Ballard downed the Lakers' team of Raynor/Courtney Thompson, 8-3.

IUP freshman Tabtip Louhabanjong dropped her No. 1 singles match to Kim Ezzo, 6-2, 6-0.

Ezzo came into Wednesday's match one spot behind Louhabanjong in the region's singles rankings.

Osborne, Ballard and Ranvita Mahto all forced three sets for the Crimson Hawks in singles play but came up short.

The IUP doubles team of Louhabanjong/Katie Eaton fell 8-4 to Ezzo/Caroline Bristol, the region's fifth-ranked doubles pair.

"These matches could've gone either way," McBryan said. "Everyone battled out there. It's disappointing to lose but we can take a lot from it and know what we can improve."

The road may seem to get a little easier Friday when the Crimson Hawks host Seton Hill and Edinboro at the IUP tennis courts as neither opponent is ranked in the Atlantic regional top 10.

"Everyone is looking forward to getting on the court and having an opportunity to get it going again and develop some confidence," said Peterson. "I don't think we're going to overlook them. I think we're just going to come out hungry for a couple wins."

Should the weather cooperate, this will be the first time IUP plays on home court this season, which could give the Crimson Hawks some much needed comfort.

"I think it'll make a big difference," McBryan said. "We've been practicing on them since fall so we're very comfortable on them. Especially since the past couple matches we've had have been indoors where we're not as comfortable playing."

IUP is scheduled to play Seton Hill at noon on Friday and will follow with Edinboro around 4:30 p.m.