The Highlanders lost their lead against SUNY Brockport in non-conference competition on Tuesday. Houghton earned a 2-1 advantage in doubles, but was unable to secure the win and eventually succumbed to a 5-4 defeat.  Second doubles, Erin Haley and Alicia Cline, secured the first victory for Houghton with a 8-4 win at No. 2 doubles. They were followed shortly by No. 1 doubles, Catie Moore and Elise Swanson, who won their match at 8-6. Third doubles, played by Tessa Brown and Maddison Soth, was a tight competition from start to finish, with the Highlanders falling 7-8 (5-7).
No. 1 Elise Swanson and No 2. Erin Haley scored Houghton's remaining two singles points, with 6-0, 5-1 (DF) and 6-1, 6-2 matches respectively. The Highlanders dropped Third, Fifth, and Sixth singles to bring the match total to 4-4. No. 4 Alicia Cline fought back from a deficit in both of her singles sets, but was unable to secure a victory, finishing her match with a 4-6, 4-6 loss that brought the overall match score to 4-5.
"We had a couple of really close matchups today, and Brockport got the better of more of those, which really swings these close team matches. It was a little bit of an odd matchup, it consisted of either really close or really one-sided matches. As a team we have consistently performed better in singles than in doubles, so this was a bit of a shakeup for us. It's certainly one to examine closely and use to push ourselves forward." Says Head Coach Tonya McGraner
The Highlanders head right back into action, with their next matchup taking place tomorrow at Houghton at 4pm against conference opponent St. John Fisher.