Box Score In one of the toughest matches on its schedule for the spring 2025 season, the Hillsdale College women's tennis team put up a tough fight, but fell to Midwest Region powerhouse Wayne St., the 14th ranked team in the nation, 5-2 on Saturday at home.

While the powerful Warriors were too much for the Chargers in the end, Hillsdale didn't go down easy. The Chargers pushed four of the six singles matches to three sets, won a doubles match, and picked up two hard fought victories down the lineup. 

Freshman Julia Zlateva rallied from a 6-4 first-set loss to win the second set 6-4 and a third-set supertiebreak 10-6 in an impressive win for the Chargers at No. 5 singles over Wayne State's Justine Beaulieu, and Megan Hackman also rallied from a first-set defeat and won two tiebreaks -- a 7-5 one to win the second set and a 10-6 win in the third set supertiebreak -- to win at No. 6 singles as well.

Hackman went undefeated on the day for the Chargers, partnering with Isabella Spinazze to win 6-3 at No. 3 doubles, but Hillsdale lost the other two doubles matches to give the point to the Warriors.

Even in matches Hillsdale lost in singles, however, there were tough fights. Sophomore Ane Dannhauser won a 6-1 second set and was two tiebreak points away from potentially upsetting one of the top singles players in the region, Wayne State's Anais Ruyssen, in a 6-7 (5), 6-1, 2-6 defeat at No. 1 singles, while freshman Briana Rees also forced a third set with a 6-1 second set victory at No. 3 singles before falling.

Hillsdale is now 5-3 overall and has a home match next Saturday, March 8, against Northwestern Ohio before heading to Florida for spring break.

Photo by Vincent Hill