Faith Bliss forehand Sept. 6, 2008

Dutch split at Waverly

PELLA—The Central College women’s tennis team split a pair of meets in Waverly Saturday.

In the morning match, the Dutch came away with a 7-2 victory over Iowa Conference foe Wartburg but were shut out in the afternoon match by St. Benedict (Minn.) 9-0.

Against Wartburg, the Dutch scored victories in all three doubles matches. Faith Bliss (junior, Ottumwa) and Kayla Donner (freshman, Metamora) won 8-2, Hilary Baehr (senior, Des Moines, Roosevelt HS) and Stephanie Gibbons (sophomore, Ankeny) won 8-5 and Katie Williamson (sophomore, Pella) and Emily Swartz (freshman, Eldora, South Hardin HS) won 8-1. Bliss, Gibbons, Williamson and Swartz each won their singles match at the No. 2, 4, 5 and 6 positions, respectively . Baehr lost 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1, and Donner lost a hard-fought match at No. 3 1-6, 6-4, 10-8.

Head coach Bryan Mours said the team played well in the morning.

“We were facing a conference opponent, and any conference match is really big,” Mours said. “We competed well today.”

Mours was happy with the doubles effort from Bliss and Donner, and said that Baehr has been tough at No. 1 singles while playing her first three conference matches against the top three returning conference players.

Despite waging tight doubles matches with St. Benedict, Central was unable to get on the board.

At No. 3 doubles, Williamson and Swartz fell 8-6, while Baehr and Gibbons came up short 8-5 at No. 2, and the top doubles team of Bliss and Donner fell 8-3.

“St. Benedict is a very good team,” said Mours. “I think we gave a reasonable effort, but our youth showed in the afternoon. We need to correct some things but I believe that we’re really going to be as strong as ever in the long run.”

Central will be in action again Tuesday, hosting league title contender Coe (3-0) at 3:30 p.m. at the A.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex courts.