The season came to an abrupt end for the women’s tennis team when it fell to No. 6 seed Belmont in the first round of the OVC tournament Friday with a final score of 4-3.
The No. 3 seed Racers went to the competition in Paducah, Ky., winning seven of their last eight matches.
Murray State successfully split six singles matches against the Bruins, leaving one doubles point to decide which team would advance to the next round.
With Belmont winning two of the first three doubles matches, the Bruins had the upper hand.
Freshmen Erin Patton and Suzaan Stoltz seized the last doubles win available with an 8-3 victory at flight three, but the solitary win was not enough to prevent Belmont from taking the vital doubles point.
The tournament loss was the last Murray State match in which senior singles and doubles player Ashley Canty would compete, leaving her mark with a 6-0 and 6-3 win in flight one singles, yet falling in doubles to an 8-3 loss alongside sophomore Carolyn Huerth.
Despite the loss, freshman Megan Blue maintained a personal victory, keeping a 9-0 streak against all-OVC opponents when she defeated Carolyn Caire. In doubles, Blue and junior Carla Suga lost 8-6.
Suga is currently leaving the season on a nine-game winning streak in singles play, giving her one more season to either add on to or break her record.
The tournament game marked the second time Murray State competed against Belmont this season.
The Racers left the first meet with a 4-1 victory over the Bruins, earning the doubles point and three of the four first singles matches.
Canty was also a standout contender in the regular season matchup against Belmont, winning flight one singles with a 6-3, 6-1 decision.
Since the OVC made the decision during the 1995-96 season to make the competition a team tournament format instead of an individual point system, the Racers have won four OVC titles with an overall record of 28-15.
The loss left Murray State with an 11-9 record overall including conference and non-conference play.
Staff Report.