The Grinnell College women’s tennis team gave Coe College all it could handle before falling 5-4 to the Kohawks in a battle of regionally-ranked squads Saturday in Grinnell.
Grinnell, ranked 13th in the Central Region of NCAA Division III, fell to 18-2 while ninth-rated Coe improved to 18-2.
Clothilde Thirouin ’14 won twice for the Pioneers, including an 8-6 decision with Shirlene Luk ’15 at the No. 3 doubles spot.
Thirouin also won 7-6, 7-6 at No. 5 singles. Other singles winners were Laura Krull ’13 at No. 3 (2-6, 6-3, 6-3) and Hanna Feldman ’14 at No. 6 (6-4, 7-6).
“While it would have been nice for us to come away with a victory today, this was a hard-fought match against a talented Coe team,” said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. “For us to put together four wins is a good sign that we’re progressing in spring-season play.
“I expect over the next couple of weeks that we’ll see our consistency come back and it will be exciting to have things come together as we get ready to move into the NCAA Regional,” he continued. “Laura Krull’s three-set win was her best singles victory since coming to Grinnell last year.”
The Pioneers have some time off before hosting Luther College at 11 a.m. April 22.
