Huntington, IN — After four of the first five matches of the season concluded in dramatic, 5-4 final score conclusion, a sluggish effort at Mid-Central Conference foe Huntington University kept all drama at bay as Goshen dropped a 3-6 decision to the Foresters.

Playing in its sixth straight MCC match, Goshen (3-3, 3-3) dropped two of the three doubles matches to fall behind early on to the Foresters, a deficit that head coach Sarah Yoder said the team never fully recovered from.

“We had high hopes going into this match,” Yoder said. “We knew Huntington would be tough, but this was a match of missed opportunities. Huntington outplayed us in several key positions to win the match. After such a strong doubles start on Saturday against St. Francis (click here for article) I was confident we could win all three doubles positions if everyone came out sharp. Unfortunately, we were slow and sluggish at all three positions. Unforced errors hurt us up and down the doubles line-up. Too many volleys were put in the net and too many groundstrokes were missed long.”

Yoder was benefited by a late rally from her number one doubles squad of senior Hannah Gingerich and junior Laurelyn Foderaro, who battled back from an early deficit to claim a 9-7 win over Huntington’s top doubles tandem.

“Despite a slow start Laurelyn and Hannah were able to hang right with the very strong doubles team of Strong and Althoff,” Yoder said. “After being down 6-7 Hannah and Laurelyn buckled down and stayed patient. They minimized unforced errors and worked their way into the net and put the ball away. Consistency, paired with smart shot selection and an excellent hold of serve from Laurelyn, after being down (0-40) earned them a well deserved 9-7 win. This win will help secure a good seed in the conference tournament.”

That lone win on the doubles slate did little to spark Yoder’s squad in singles play, however, as it was Huntington that took four of the six singles matches — the exact number Goshen needed for the overall win. Junior Diana Diaz (number three singles) and senior Erin Gotwals (number six singles) came up with the points for the Leafs, while Gingerich fought hard before dropping a three-set decision at the number two singles position.

“Diana put forth a spirited effort,” Yoder said. “ She is finally starting to heal from her injuries that have been plaguing her since the first week of season. She still is not 100 percent but we are excited about her increased mobility. Hopefully she will be back to herself come conference tournament time. Her opponent today could not do much against Diana’s power and placement. Erin stayed patient against a player who got a lot of balls back. This win will continue to help Erin receive a high seed in the conference tournament. Her only singles loss this year came at the hand of a talented Indiana Wesleyan player. If she finishes the season strong she will have a number two seed.”

Yoder mentioned both Gingerich and Foderaro as the Leafs’ best chances for tide-turning points, but both struggled against opponents playing top-notch tennis.

“Laurelyn fought hard against an all around solid player in Strong at number one singles,” Yoder said. “Strong played the most solid singles match I’ve seen all season. She can put the ball wherever she wants and makes very few mistakes. Hannah won an easy first set but her opponent completely refocused and starting hitting groundstrokes with incredible accuracy and power. Hannah hustled, but couldn’t stop Althoff from winning an easy second set 6-0. Althoff jumped ahead to a quick 3-0 lead in the third before Hannah got her game going again. She battled hard, chasing down many balls that easily should have been winners, but the early deficit was too much to overcome and she dropped the third set 6-3.”

With just two regular-season MCC matches remaining and just two weeks until the MCC Tournament rolls around, Yoder said the focus will be on the practice courts for the remainder of the week. Goshen will next travel to Spring Arbor University on Saturday for a 10 a.m. start time.

“We have several days of practice before our match on Saturday at Spring Arbor,” Yoder said. “We will continue to work on starting strong and playing smart tennis, especially when shots aren’t falling like they sometimes do.”

Singles:
#1 Stephanie Strong (H) def. Laurelyn Foderaro (G): 6-0, 6-0
#2 Raelyn Althoff (H) def. Hannah Gingerich (G): 2-6, 6-0, 6-3
#3 Diana Diaz (Goshen) def. Kendra Gantz (H): 6-3, 6-1
#4 Calli Fike (H) def. Katie Martin (G): 6-0, 6-2
#5 Jessica Deter (H) def Hannah Groff (Goshen): 6-2, 6-1
#6 Erin Gotwals (G) def. Katie Sprunger (H): 6-4, 6-3
Doubles:
#1 Foderaro/Gingerich (G) def. Strong/Althoff (H): 9-7
#2 Ganz/Fike (H) def. Diaz/Martin (G): 8-5
#3 Deter/Sprunger (H) def. Gotwals/Janie Beck (G) 8-2