Box Score GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) women's tennis took to the courts Saturday afternoon at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center to face off with the UNC Asheville (UNCA) Bulldogs. After a nearly three and a half hour battle, the Spartans fell short by a score of 2-5.
 
"We started with much more energy today," stated Head Coach Paul Thomson. "Doubles were much more explosive and intense."
 
Unfortunately, it was errors and inconsistent play that hampered the Spartans today as they took losses on courts two, 2-6 and court three, 4-6. Hanna Giddings and Olivia Gallagher continued their good work on court one bringing home the win, 6-3.
 
Down 0-1, Luna Urso struggled in her first set dropping an 0-6 tally. She managed to regroup in the second set and had opportunities to get to a third but dropped a 4-6 mark. Raegan Mitchell was the next to complete her court. "Raegan is playing great tennis right now to start the season," said Thomson. "She's worked hard and has a bright season ahead." Mitchell rolled to a 6-3, 6-3 victory closing the deficit to 1-2 against the Bulldogs.
 
Giddings showed signs of brilliance at times on court three. Errors however, hampered her effort as she fell by the score of 6-7(5), 4-6. Down 1-3, Gallagher continued her outstanding play by sealing the win on her court 6-3, 7-6 (6). 
 
Down 2-3, Arina Babkova at number one and Dodashev at number two singles had great efforts, but ended up dropping their affairs to close out play. "Alex and Ari both played well," said Thomson. "Ari's tank ran dry after the first set. Alex simply needs to start making a few more balls early and get comfortable before she gets into high gear."
 
Thomson continued, "We've got a very young inexperienced team with a lot of ability. That can be a tough combination sometimes. A lot of ability but the lack of experience to know how to use it. I think this group can be very dangerous. They've just got to learn how to control what we can and let the rest go. We've got to focus on the small details and start learning from mistakes and following the patterns that are working for us. I believe in these girls. They are going to figure it out."
 
The Spartans will take two days off before getting back to work on Tuesday in preparation for three matches later in the week. They will travel to NCCU on Thursday then host Campbell and Presbyterian over the weekend.