Over the past week, Saint Mary’s athletics compiled a 5-10 record. Here’s how the Belles tennis, softball and lacrosse teams fared.
Tennis
Saint Mary’s tennis extended its win streak to eight with a dominant week on the court. The Belles went 4-0 at Hilton Head Island, S.C., outscoring their opponents 33-3. Illinois Tech and Lynchburg fell victim to 9-0 sweeps, while only Messiah and Carroll (Wis.) secured points against the buzzsaw Belles.
Junior Alayna Campbell, sophomore Evelyn Demblans-Dechans and sophomore Emma Kealy all went 4-0 in singles play. The three were also perfect in doubles play, with freshman Anna Gardner teaming up with Kealy for a 4-0 week.
At 10-4 on the year, the Belles will open MIAA play on Saturday at Adrian.
Softball
Belles softball opened its season with a doubleheader on March 10, completing its first 10 games in the five days that followed. Saint Mary’s divided up the games between three Floridian sites — Leesburg, Kissimmee and Clermont. After starting on an eight-game losing streak, the Belles finished the stretch 1-9.
Hungry for their first win, the Belles found it in dramatic fashion on Friday. They walked off Juniata for a 5-4 victory in eight innings after coming from behind in the sixth inning. Senior starting pitcher Libby Bierbaum set the tone in the circle, tossing all eight innings with just two earned runs allowed. After she kept the game tied in the eighth, senior outfielder McKenna Shoupe paid off her performance with the game-winning single.
Following their extended stay in the Sunshine State, Saint Mary’s will play a home-opening doubleheader against Wheaton (Ill.) on Saturday.
Lacrosse
Head coach Kara Visker’s team played one game over the past week, losing 20-3 to Rhodes on March 13. Squaring off with the Lynx in Newport News, Virginia, the Belles surrendered 11 first-quarter goals. Junior attacker Christina Singler, senior attacker Reese Bauer and freshman midfielder Kathryn Kalinowski scored the only three goals for Saint Mary’s.
Now at 1-4 on the young season, the Belles will host their next three games. That stretch begins on Wednesday with a matchup against Wooster and continues Saturday as Lake Forest visits.
