SAN ANTONIO – The 14th-ranked Trinity University women's tennis team opened up its Spring 2024 season with a bang, earning a 4-3 victory over Division I University of the Incarnate Word on Friday night.

The Tigers (1-0) had not previously beaten the Cardinals since before the 2009-10 season, having lost seven straight meetings between the neighboring schools. Trinity and UIW split the six singles matches, but the Tigers won two out of three in doubles play to earn what proved to be an important point.

Senior Ellie Hughes (Austin, Texas / Vandegrift) and first-year Rosabella Andrade (Southlake, Texas / Ponderosa) won 7-5 at line three to start off the afternoon in doubles, but UIW evened things up with a 7-6 (2) line two win over senior Cate Cushing (Colleyville, Texas / Heritage) and sophomore Trinity Levy (Camarillo, Calif. / Weil Tennis Academy). Junior tandem Olivia Kim (Phoenix, Ariz. / Desert Mountain) and Ruth Hill (Abilene, Texas / Abilene) battled for a tough 7-6 (4) win at the top line to pick up the critical point for Trinity.

Singles play began with the Tigers snagging two more wins to take a 3-0 lead in the match. Andrade picked up her second win of the day at line five, taking a 6-3, 6-1 win to start. Cushing's 6-1, 6-0 win at line six kept things going for Trinity, but the Cardinals began to rally from there. Hughes fell at line two to give UIW its first point of the day, then Hill came up short in a three-set match at line one. Levy's line three loss gave Incarnate Word three straight wins and tied up the match 3-3. Kim took the first set of her line four match 6-3, then clinched the Tiger victory with a 7-5 second-set win.

Up Next

Trinity will make its home debut in its next match, hosting Our Lady of the Lake University on Friday, February 9, at 4:00 p.m.