Houghton Women's Tennis got off to a stronger start in their second match of the day. Second doubles, Juniors Maddi Soth and Tessa Brown, put up a tough fight against Utica's second pair, resulting in a 5-8 finish. At first singles, Sophomore Elise Swanson played the longest match of the day, trading off service games with opponent Ellen Collie before finishing her match at 6-8. The Highlanders scored one victory at fourth singles, where Junior Tessa Brown upset her opponent in a 8-5 pro-set.

    "Utica has a very strong team this year - they're young and talented for sure. Our girls came out playing a lot tougher from the start today, which was great to see after the slightly slow start we had this morning. They're working through their nerves and focused on playing aggressive. We didn't come out with the win today, but I'm happy with the way the girls played. They fought hard and put in a lot of good work, especially given the challenges we've all faced over the last year."

    The Highlanders will be back in action on Saturday March 20th, when they'll take on conference opponents St. John Fisher and Sage.