LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State women's tennis team dropped a hard-fought match on Saturday at the NMSU Tennis Center to visiting Abilene Christian, 5-2.
 
"We had chances in singles play, but did not play aggressively or confidently enough to beat a solid team like ACU," said head women's tennis coach Ivan Fernandez.
 
The doubles point was a tough point to drop for NM State (2-4), especially when it was tied 4-4 on all three courts at one point or another for the home team. However, the Aggies couldn't fend off the Wildcats (7-4) and fell 6-4 on all three courts.
 
Rimpledeep Kaur was able to knot things up for NM State, 1-1, when she ousted Kaysie Hermsdorf 6-2, 6-1 at the No. 2 singles hole. ACU regained the lead soon after when Erika Castillo Lopez was downed on court No. 3.
 
Chloe Jolliff was the second Aggie to fall in singles play when Abilene Christian's Nada Marjanovic took her down 6-2, 6-1 at No. 4 singles.
 
The Wildcats clinched the match on court No. 1 moments later when Ashvarya Shrivastav was defeated by Erin Walker 6-4, 6-4. Mia Brandt also dropped her match on court No. 5, but not before giving Whitney Williams a run for her money, 7-5, 7-5.
 
Lindsay Harlas, who has now won three of her last four matches, gave NM State its second point of the match when she battled back from being down one set to win 0-6, 6-2, 6-3.
 
"Harlas has really impressed me this semester," Fernandez said. "She is fighting extremely hard and has great energy. We need that energy to become contagious with the rest of the team if we want to win matches like these."
 
NM State will now regroup and prepare for a pair of matches at home next week as part of its four-match homestand, beginning with Northern Arizona at 2 p.m. (MT) on Friday, Feb. 26. The Aggies will then host Wyoming in a 10 a.m. (MT) tilt on Sunday, Feb. 28.
 
Match #6
Abilene Christian 5, NM State 2
February 20, 2016
NMSU Tennis Center
Las Cruces, N.M.
 
Doubles

1. Walker/Williams (ACU) def. Kaur/Shrivastav (NMSU) – 6-4
2. Pothier/Hermsdorf (ACU) def. Castillo Lopez/Joyce (NMSU) – 6-4
3. Marjanovic/Crook (ACU) def. Harlas/Jolliff (NMSU) – 6-4

Order of Finish: (1, 3*, 2)
 
Singles

1. Erin Walker (ACU) def. Ashvarya Shrivastav (NMSU) – 6-4, 6-4
2. Rimpledeep Kaur (ACU) def. Kaysie Hermsdorf (ACU) – 6-2, 6-1
3. Lucile Pothier (ACU) def. Erika Castillo Lopez (NMSU) – 6-1, 6-1
4. Nada Marjanovic (ACU) def. Chloe Jolliff (NMSU) – 6-2, 6-1
5. Whitney Williams (CAU) def. Mia Brandt (NMSU) – 7-5, 7-5
6. Lindsay Harlas (NMSU) def. Jordan Henry (ACU) – 0-6, 6-2, 6-3

Order of Finish: 2, 3, 4, 1*, 5, 6
 
Extra Matches
Doubles
Brandt/Thiffault (NMSU) def. Henry/Boarman (ACU) 7-6
Singles
Marie-Pier Thiffault (NMSU) def. Ansley Boarman (ACU) – 6-2, 6-1
Sarah Van Eeckhoudt (NMSU) def. Andrea Crook (ACU) – 6-1, 6-2