The women’s tennis team hit the road for spring break with a four-match California trip, where they experienced both wins and losses.

Before setting off for their road matches, Trinity took on D-II St. Edwards (TX) on Saturday, March 1, when the team suffered its fifth consecutive loss.

Senior Kylie Hornbeck and first year Liza Southwick took No. 2 doubles 8-6, while sophomore Kristy Hamilton and senior Stephanie Williamson won the No. 3 line 9-7. Sophomore Caroline White and senior Kathleen Lundquist fell 8-2 in the No. 1 match.

“As a team, we go in with nothing to lose, and our number one goal is to compete and to fight for every point out on the court. As long as we do that, there is really nothing else more you can ask out of your teammates,” White said.

St. Edward’s went on to win five of the six singles matches, with Lundquist coming out on top 6-1 and 6-4 at the No. 6 position.

Southwick played a tight No. 1 singles match, coming up short 6-2, 3-6, and 6-2. Hornbeck lost  6-1 and 6-0 at No. 2 singles, and Hamilton fell 7-6 and 6-1 during the third match. Sophomore Gabrielle Roe lost a 6-4 and 6-4 match on the No. 4 line, and Williamson dropped a 6-1 and 6-4 decision during the fifth match.

The 23rd-ranked Trinity women’s tennis team opened its four-match California road trip with a 3-6 loss to thirteenth-ranked University of Redlands on Friday, March 7th.

Redlands opened the dual match by taking two of three doubles. The Tiger team of Hornbeck and Southwick won the No. 2 matchup by a score of 8-4. White and Lundquist lost 2-8 at No. 1 doubles, while Hamilton and Williamson were edged 6-8 on the No. 3 line.

The Bulldogs went on to win four of the six singles matches. Southwick prevailed in the top slot with 5-7, 7-6, and 10-4. Hornbeck was a 6-3 and 7-6 winner at No. 3 singles.

White dropped the No. 2 singles match 0-6, 0-6, and Hamilton lost a three-set No. 4 singles match 6-4, 6-7, 0-6.  Gabrielle Roe came up short 2-6, 4-6 on the No. 5 line, and Lundquist fell 0-6, 4-6 at No. 6.

The team was finally able to end their losing streak when they played against the California Lutheran University Regals the following day and won two of three doubles and five of six singles matches. The final score was 7-2.

“The majority of the teams we have played up to this point have been DII, so judging off of those performances is not very realistic, so we use those matches to improve and take away things to work on. However, during periods of losses, as a team we just come out and practice stronger and hold each other accountable every day at practice,” Hornbeck said.

White and Lundquist teamed up to win No. 1 doubles against Cal Lutheran 8-6, while Hornbeck and Southwick took the No. 2 line 8-5. Hamilton and Williamson lost No. 3 doubles by a score of 0-8.

Southwick was a 6-0, 6-2 winner at No. 1 singles, and Hornbeck captured the No. 2 match 7-6. Roe won a straight-sets 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 4 singles, and Williamson emerged as the winner of the No. 5 matchup 2-6, 7-6, 6-4. Senior Lavinia Bendandi came through for the Tigers at No. 6 singles in a 6-3, 6-2 match. Hamilton lost a tight No. 3 singles match 5-7, 6-1, and 4-10, which was a tiebreaker instead of third set.

The next day, the women’s team faced the University of Rochester (N.Y.), where the team achieved a shutout victory of 9-0. Trinity improved to 4-5 on the season with its second consecutive victory.

White and Lundquist won a tightly played No. 1 doubles match of 9-8, while Southwick and Hornbeck took the No. 2 match with 8-1. Bendandi and Roe blanked their No. 3 doubles opponents 8-0. The Tigers did not drop a set in the singles action.

Southwick captured No. 1 singles with a 6-0, 6-0 win, Hornbeck won the No. 2 match 7-6, 6-1, and Hamilton prevailed 6-2, 7-6 at No. 3. Roe was a 6-1, 6-3 winner at No. 4 singles, and Bendandi took the No. 5 line 7-5, 6-4.  Williamson held strong to go on to win the No. 6 singles 7-5, 7-6.

Trinity women’s tennis team wrapped up its California trip with a tight 4-5 loss to the Chapman University (Calif.) Panthers Tuesday, March 11. Trinity’s two-match winning streak snapped, and now stands at 4-6.

Chapman began the match by winning two of the three doubles matches to take the early advantage. The doubles point for the Tigers came from the No. 2 line, with Hornbeck and Southwick getting an 8-2 nod. The doubles team has now chalked up an 8-2 record this season.

The two teams split the singles matches, as both squads nabbed three victories.

Southwick upped her singles record to 6-4 with a 6-1, 7-5 win at the No. 1 position. Hamilton won a three-setter 1-6, 6-2, 6-0 at No. 4 singles, while Roe prevailed 6-1, 6-0 at No. 5. White lost 1-6, 3-6 at No. 2 singles, Hornbeck dropped an 0-6, 0-6 decision at No. 3, and Lundquist came up short 2-6, 3-6 at the No. 6 line.

The Tigers will return to action on Friday, March 28, hosting Schreiner University at 2:00 p.m.