The Shippensburg University women's tennis team began four days of matches in Florida at 8 a.m. Monday morning with a hard-fought contest against the University of Sioux Falls, falling 6-1 to the Cougars in Kissimmee.
 
Shippensburg (1-6) won four or more games in all six singles flights and battled deep into points with Sioux Falls (4-2), a Division II school in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Raider victory on the day came at No. 6 singles, where senior Brighid Cantwell posted a decisive 6-2, 6-0 victory over Rhianna Cantine.
 
Sophomore Corinne Markovich went to three sets with Emma Rangel at No. 1 singles and came up just short in a marathon match. Markovich won the first set, 6-4, while Rangel won the second set, 6-1. In the third-set tiebreak, Rangel emerged victorious by a whisker, 12-10.
 
Freshman Brinley Orris had a highly competitive match at No. 5 singles against Ellie Thie. It proved to be one decisive service break in each set, as Thie won 6-4, 6-4.
 
Freshman Rachel Gallagher won five games at No. 4 singles against Mylin Lemke, the only Cougar to play in both singles and doubles.
 
Juniors Brooklynn Rupert and Kendall Winters each won four games at No. 2 and No. 3 singles respectively.
 
In doubles, Orris and Winters competed to a 6-4 setback at the No. 2 flight, while Markovich and Rupert won three games at No. 1.
 
Shippensburg will face Piedmont, an NCAA Division III school in Georgia, at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
 
Sioux Falls 6, Shippensburg 1
 
Doubles
1. Mylin Lemke/Brianna Holm (USF) def. Corinne Markovich/Brooklynn Rupert (SU), 6-3
2. Karly Doom/Regan Loft (USF) def. Brinley Orris/Kendall Winters (SU), 6-4
3. Eva Behlen/Emily Brace (USF) def. Rachel Gallagher/Brighid Cantwell (SU), 6-1
 
Singles
1. Emma Rangel (USF) def. Corinne Markovich (SU), 4-6, 6-1, 12-10               
2. Annika Randt (USF) def. Brooklynn Rupert (SU), 6-3, 6-1
3. Bella Molitor (USF) def. Kendall Winters (SU), 6-3, 6-1
4. Mylin Lemke (USF) def. Rachel Gallagher (SU), 6-3, 6-2
5. Ellie Thie (USF) def. Brinley Orris (SU), 6-4, 6-4
6. Brighid Cantwell (SU) def. Rhianna Cantine (USF), 6-2, 6-0
 
Records:
Sioux Falls: 4-2
Shippensburg: 1-6