Lady Raiders Fall to TCU 6-1

FORT WORTH, Texas - Middle Tennessee women's tennis (9-6) fell 6-1 Thursday to TCU (11-6) Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center public courts.

TCU's No. 3 doubles team of junior Paige Brown and sophomore Gloriann Lopez made short work of Ana Maria Cibils and Jacqui Williams, 8-1, to start the afternoon. Middle Tennessee's 11th-ranked tandem of Manon Kruse and Carien Venter defeated 24th-ranked senior Saber Pierce and freshman Ana Cetnik, 8-3, at No. 1 to even doubles play. Neither two doubles team was willing to give an inch, as both battled to the end before TCU senior Paty Aburto and junior Karla Mancinas won the tiebreaker, 9-8 (9-7), to take the match and doubles point from 48th-ranked Laura McNamara and Jennifer Klaschka.

In singles action, Lopez defeated Emily Vest as she claimed a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 6, while Cetnik defeated Cibils, 6-2, 6-1, at four singles. Pierce clinched the win for the Frogs as she battled back from a three-game deficit in the first set to top Venter in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2, at No. 3. TCU's other two points came in three-set matches from freshman Jenn Chay at No. 2 (2-6, 6-4, 10-8 over Klaschka) and Mancinas at No. 5 (6-7, 6-2, 10-5 against McNamara).

Middle Tennessee will face SMU Friday at 2 p.m..

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