BELOIT, Wis. - A long and difficult opening week for the Mount Mary women's tennis team concluded Saturday with a pair of losses at the Beloit College Triangular. The Blue Angels were swept by both the host Buccaneers and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point as they start the season with a 0-4 mark.
"We are still trying to find ourselves in many of these matches," head coach Tom Troast said. "Our players are adjusting to college competition with some difficult lessons along the way. I'm very pleased with their competitiveness. For right now it's hard on our young team to play seasoned upperclassmen—it's been emotional and a great test for these young athletes."
The Blue Angels opened the day against Beloit, which saw a pair of Mount Mary netters play close matches. Freshman Krista Olson (Appleton, Wis.) pushed her Buc foe at No. 1, eventually dropping both sets 6-2, 6-3 and junior Katie Wolk (Oshkosh, Wis.) battled Beloit in the No. 6 spot due to a nagging knee injury, eventually falling 8-6 in the tiebreak second set, 6-3, 7-6.
Entering its second match of a back-to-back schedule, the Blue Angels' gas tank seemed empty against an overpowering UW-Stevens Point squad. While junior Carol Guillen (Milwaukee, Wis.) looked solid at No. 4 for the Blue Angels, dropping her match 6-3, 6-2, she was the only singles player to take more than two games off her Pointer opponent.
"This was a tired Blue Angel team playing its heart out against a large UWSP team in Point's first match of the day," Troast said. "I'm really proud of this this Mount Mary team—they competed very hard during a long, tough week."
Mount Mary will have a few days off before heading northward to Lakeland College Thursday. The extended holiday weekend, paired with a few weekdays off should be just what the Blue Angels need to catch their breaths.
"These women have until Thursday to get some rest and heal both their physical and emotional wounds," Troast said. "We're a bit nicked up right now and some days to recover couldn't have come at a better time."
Lakeland is 1-1 on the season after splitting a pair of Northern Athletics Conference matches Saturday. First serve for Mount Mary's matchup against the Muskies is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Plymouth, Wis.
