GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The Southwest Minnesota State University women's tennis team split a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matches on Saturday night in Grand Forks, N.D., defeating Bemidji State 7-2, before dropping a 6-3 decision to Minnesota Crookston.

SMSU is now 3-13 overall, 2-10 in the NSIC.

In the BSU match, SMSU won two of three doubles matches to take a 2-1 lead, with Crystal Overbaugh and Samantha Ritter dropping an 8-5 decision at No. 1, before Allison Niedert and Kayla Uphus won 8-5 over Evan Kolberg and Nicci Hedtke at No. 2. Hannah Hagen and Shelby Monahan won by default at No. 3 doubles. 

SMSU won five of six singles matches, including winning two by forfeit.  Katie Kienitz won a hard-fought 1-6, 6-3, 1-0(11-9) victory at No. 1, before Monahan lost at No. 2 by a 6-7 (4), 2-6 decision.  Overbaugh put SMSU back in the win column with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 3, before Hagen extended the SMSU lead with a 6-4, 6-1 victory at No. 4.  Ritter and Uphus both won their matches by default.

In the UMC match, Niedert and Ritter earned an 8-4 victory at No. 3 for SMSU's only victory in doubles action.  Overbaugh and Kienitz lost 5-8 at No. 1, before Hagen and Monahan lost 2-8 at No. 2.

SMSU dropped its first four matches in singles play in straight sets, before winning two in a row to close the match, with Ritter earning a 6-2, 0-6, 1-0 (10-7) victory at No. 5, before Uphus ended the match with a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 6.

Kienitz lost 2-6, 1-6 at No. 1, Monahan lost 0-6, 0-6 at No. 2, Overbaugh dropped a 3-6, 1-6 decision at No. 3, before Hagen lost 0-6, 3-6 at No. 4.

Southwest Minnesota State is set to close out the regular season on Saturday, April 20, hosting Minnesota-Morris at the Marshall High School courts.