McPherson, Kan. – The Bulldogs hosted the William Woods University Owls on Tuesday for their second contest of a three-match homestand. McPherson headed into the match off of a successful Nebraska trip where they would go 2-0, while William Wood looked to secure three wins in their four-match road trip to Kansas.
The Basics
Location: Bulldog Tennis Center
Score: MC 4, WWU 3
Records: MC 3-3 (KCAC 0-0), WWU 5-6 (HAAC 2-0)
How it Happened
McPherson started the morning strong, securing the doubles point with wins from the pairs of
Taimi Nashiku and
Bella Ellerbee on the #1 court, along with
Vanessa Hofer and
Laureen Van Drunen on court #2.
Nashiku delivered a dominant performance in singles, putting the Bulldogs ahead 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. The #1 and #3 Singles matches proved to be more competitive with both going to a decisive third set. Ellerbee claimed the #3 singles point after taking the first and third sets 6-1 and 6-3. Meanwhile, a long, hard-fought battle at #1 Singles ended with the Owls earning their first point of the day with a 6-4 win in the third set.
The second round of singles matches began with William Woods' Zara Littlejohn winning in straight sets, pulling the Owls within one point of McPherson. Another three-set battle at #4 Singles saw the Owls complete the comeback as Mana Grasset secured a comeback victory to tie the match at 3-3.
The final singles match between William Woods' Elise Vandewiele and McPherson's
Eva Lesteluhu proved to be the deciding point. Lesteluhu opened the match with a dominant 6-0 victory, but Vanderwiele responded by narrowly taking the second set to force a third.
The third set was a back-and-forth battle that ended in a 6-6 deadlock, sending the match to a tiebreaker. Lesteluhhu scored the final two points of the tiebreak to win 8-6, securing the 4-3 victory for the Bulldogs.
Up Next
McPherson will travel to St. Louis, Missouri on Sunday to face off against the University of Missouri - St. Louis.
