CLINTON, Miss. – The No. 13 Lee University women's tennis team completed its regular season with a 4-3 loss to No. 22 Mississippi College Saturday morning at the MC Tennis Complex. The Lady Flames finished the regular season at 13-2 overall and 6-2 in the GSC, while the Choctaws improved to 17-4, 6-1 GSC.

Ashleigh Simes and Aliyah Dwyer opened doubles competition with a 6-2 upset of 25^th-ranked Ema Roberts and Ana Julissa De Mata. Maria Penalver Aguilo and Kanna Kobayakawa beat Rocio Martinez and Anna Hudson 6-4 to secure the doubles point. Katharina Weber and Ann Cabot Stockett held off Mirjana Ragastovac and Vitoria Maximiliano 6-4 to avoid the sweep.

In a battle of top 40 singles players, MC's Roberts, ranked No. 40, beat Simes, No. 1, in straight sets 6-1 and 6-2 to tie the team score. De Mata used a 7-5 tiebreaker in the first set to springboard to a 6-2 second set score to defeat Penalver Aguilo at No. 2 singles. Martinez beat Dwyer 6-3, 7-5 to continue the MC momentum and push the home team to within one point of winning the team contest.

Ragastovac beat Hudson 7-6 in the first set with a 7-3 tiebreaker and kept Lee alive with a 6-2 margin in the second set. Kobayakawa evened the team score at 3-3 with a 7-5, 6-1 defeat of Weber. All that remained was the No. 6 singles match between Maximiliano and Alizee Ripolles. Rippolles claimed the first set 6-4 and the second 6-2 to clinch the victory for the Choctaws.

The Lady Flames have earned the third seed in the upcoming GSC Championship and will be matched up with the sixth seed University of Montevallo. The Quarterfinal match is set for April 24 in Montgomery, Ala., at either Lagoon Park or O'Connor Tennis Center.

 
Coach Patric Hynes' Thoughts:
"We started very well in doubles and have to give credit to the other team. Our girls fought hard all day. We definitely can take some positives out of it, but we also have some things we can probably do better. 

"Time to get back, get some rest and get prepared for the GSC tournament."