GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The North Dakota women's tennis team fell in a tightly-contested match against Montana State on Sunday morning, 4-3, to close out the home-opening weekend inside Choice Health & Fitness.
 
Early control fell into the hands of the Bobcats as they cruised to back-to-back 6-2 wins from both the No. 2 and No. 3 courts in doubles action. Though the visitors took the 1-0 team lead, Ethel Li and Jule Schulte still remained locked in a tight competition from the top spot. A knotted score of 6-6 forced a tiebreaker and thrust the pair into another intense battle that soon resulted in an 8-6 win for the decisive seventh point.
 
Alyssa Giupponi was the first Fighting Hawk to win in singles competition for the second-straight match as she collected a 6-4, 6-1 victory from the No. 4 spot. Montana State then clawed back with two wins at the No. 5 and No. 6 courts to take the 3-1 overall advantage.
 
Li tightened the match again with her gritty 6-4, 6-4 win at the top spot as the final two courts each went into important third sets. Alva Norberg fought off a first set loss in the No. 3 spot to take the second, 6-2, in controlling fashion. Her powerful effort, though, would be stopped in the final set as the senior fell, 6-3.
 
The Bobcats had already secured the team victory, but Schulte kept the fight going from the No. 2 court. First-set competition went toe-to-toe and back-and-forth before the senior emerged with the 7-5 win. Another tightly-contested showing put Schulte on the opposite end of the set result, falling 6-4. The all-out powerhouse battle culminated in a 6-3 third set win for Schulte but the effort was not enough to push the Hawks to victory.

"Today's match was a great example of what typically happens when two good teams square off against each other," said head coach Tom Boysen. "There were so many sets and matches that were decided by only a few points here and there. I thought we did a good job of putting ourselves in position to win some of these sets and matches over and over, and on a few crucial points, we just didn't quite execute shots in big moments.

"But our level of play was good for only the second match of the season and I loved our competitive presence and grit. We will learn from this match, but I'm also convinced that this match points to good things in our future. It was so encouraging to see Ethel, Jule and Alyssa play at such a high level in singles all weekend. They were phenomenal!"
 
North Dakota returns to action on the road as the Fighting Hawks are set to face Minnesota and Drake on January 23 and 24, respectively.  

For more information on North Dakota women's tennis, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDwtennis.