In a showdown of top-10 nationally-ranked foes, the sixth-ranked Middlebury women's tennis team fell by a narrow 5-4 score Tuesday evening against fifth-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center. Following a day off from competition Wednesday, the Panthers continue their spring trip in California Thursday with a match against 12th-ranked NAIA foe Westmont at 2:00 p.m. PDT.

In doubles, Middlebury claimed two of the three points. In the top flight, Ria Gerger and Kaysee Orozco defeated Caroline Ward and Katie Kuosman. In the second match, Claremont's Chloe Dobbert and Sarah Kukino edged Alexandra Fields and Jennifer Sundstrom by an 8-6 tally. In the third flight, the Panther duo of Lauren Amos and Margot Marchese fought off a pair of match points, and claimed a 9-8 (7-5) victory over Crystal Lim and Yvonne Likomanova.   

During singles action with the match tied at 4-4, the deciding point came from the #4 match. Kukino and Marchese battled back and forth before Kukino finally secured the point and team victory in straight sets by scores of 7-6 (9-7), 7-5.

In the top spot, Ward bested Gerger in straight sets (6-4, 6-1), while Fields beat Katie Kuosman in the second flight by scores of 6-2, 6-0. In the third match, Dobbert gained a point for Claremont beating Orozco (6-1, 6-4). At #5, Lim gained a point for Claremont defeating Katie Paradies 6-3, 6-3, while Sadie Shackelford recorded a team point for the Panthers at #6 by set scores of 6-2 and 6-1 against Likomanova.