ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Houghton women's tennis put up a valiant effort but ultimately fell short in an 8-1 loss to No. 1 seed Nazareth in the Empire 8 Conference Semifinals.

The fourth seeded Highlanders earned an 8-6 win with the tandem of Chloe Esch and Maddison Soth in second doubles. The pair finished the season with a record of 5-3. The first doubles team of Elise Swanson and Erin Haley lost a close 8-6 battle. The duo held a 5-4 lead but couldn't hold on down the stretch.

Esch (third) and Haley (second) also played strong in their singles matches. Esch lost 3-6, 6-7 (5-7) and Haley lost 6-4, 7-5, 10-2. Esch trailed 2-4 in the second set, but was able to take it to a tiebreaker.

The short-handed Highlanders lost by default in third doubles and sixth singles.

"I'm so proud of the ladies today. They came out and played a great match against Nazareth," said Head Coach Tonya McGraner. "We were much more confident and collected, we played with strategy and tried to open up opportunities. We didn't walk away with the win, but we can walk away with our heads held high because our ladies have improved and grown so much as players and as a team this semester."

Houghton finishes the season with a mark of 3-4.