By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Fort Hays State fell in its final match of the fall on Friday (Oct. 8) by a score of 4-3 to Tabor College. The dual came down to the final three singles matches, which all went to tiebreaks. The Tigers came up short in two of those three decisive matches.
The Tigers already found themselves down a point after doubles play when Tabor took two of three matches. The No. 3 team of Aliyah Frederick and Heidi Lubbers were victorious in their match 6-2, but the No. 1 team of Stefany Stemmer and Maria Paz Diaz fell 7-5 and the No. 2 team of Fiorella Mendez and Kylie Aufdengarten fell 6-4.
The Tigers were on the cusp of pulling off the comeback in singles action, winning three of the first four matches to finish. At No. 4, Aufdengarten dispatched of her opponent 6-0, 6-0 and Frederick cruised at No. 5, 6-0, 6-1. Fiorella Mendez was the Tiger to win her match that went to tiebreak at the No. 3 position, coming back to win by winning the second set 6-2 and the tiebreak set 10-7. Lubbers at No. 6 was the Tiger that fell in this group at No. 6 by scores of 7-5 and 6-0.
It came down to the No. 1 and 2 singles positions to decide the match. Tabor evened up the match when Tiana Shelton came back from a first set loss to defeat Diaz 6-2 and 10-2 in the final two sets at No. 2. Geanna Richard did the same, coming back from a first set loss to defeat Stemmer at No. 1 6-3 and 11-9 over the final two sets. Stemmer extended the tiebreaker by tying the score 9-9, but Richard won the last two points contested to push Tabor over the top.
The Tigers will return to action in the spring on March 1 when they head to Sterling, Kansas to take on Sterling College. FHSU defeated Sterling earlier in the fall in Hays 7-0.