- Box Score
 
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Tarleton tennis faced its toughest test of the young season Friday morning at the Ouachita Baptist Quad when the TexAnns fell 5-4 to the nation's No. 10 Southwest Baptist Bearcats.
 
"I am very pleased with our effort and how well we performed after a late night match yesterday and an early morning match today," said head coach Lance Drake. "It was a good match for us this early in the season. Now we'll look forward to playing another tough match tomorrow against Arkansas Tech."
 
The TexAnns got started by taking two of the three doubles matches, beginning with an 8-1 win in the No. 3 match from Shelby Fillingame and Ellie Stevens. After Tarleton dropped the No. 1 match to the Bearcat duo ranked No. 13 in the nation, Ashleigh Elward and Erika Richarme stole the momentum with an 8-5 victory in the No. 2 match. Elward and Richarme improved to 3-0 in doubles this season.
 
Southwest Baptist stole the momentum in singles, however, beginning with two wins in the top two matches – defeating Elward (6-0, 6-2) and Richarme (6-4, 6-3) – and a third straight singles win from the No. 4 match when Fillingame dropped a hard-fought battle 3-6, 6-4, 6-0. Luiza Ferraro-Adas ultimately dropped her singles match in the No. 3 line, despite a valiant effort. The junior from Brazil bounced back from a tough 5-7 loss in the opening set to take the second 6-4. She eventually fell in the final set 2-6.
 
Ellie Stevens earned Tarleton's first singles win out of the No. 5 line by defeating Zorana Jovanovic 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 before Elena Preadca pulled out a victory in the No. 6 battle 6-2, 6-2.
 
"Southwest Baptist turned the tide on us by winning the two top spots," said Drake. "The No. 4 girl got on a big run late and we couldn't slow her down. Luiza played a very tough match and came up just short with a few points deciding a tight battle.
 
"I was very pleased with the way Ellie and Elena battled," he added.
 
Tarleton remains ranked No. 8 in the region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association with Erika Richarme the No. 11-ranked singles player and the doubles duo of Adas and Preadca ranked No. 7 in the South Central region.
 
The TexAnns will take the court for its final game of the Ouachita Baptist Quad tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. against Arkansas Tech, who is ranked No. 6 in the Central region.