The Middlebury women's tennis team, ranked 10th in Division III, fell to Azusa Pacific, the #17 team in Division II, by a 6-3 score during its spring break trip to California at the Burrelson Tennis Center. The Panthers (3-3) return to the court Thursday with a match against 13th-ranked Chicago in a contest set to be played in Claremont at 3:00 p.m.

The Cougars (10-7) raced out to a 3-0 lead with a trio of narrow victories in doubles. Sadie Shackelford and Katie Paradies dropped an 8-6 decision to Bethany Duval and Danae Ingwaldson at #3, while Kaysee Orozco and Jennifer Sundstrom fell 8-5 in the second spot. Looking for a point headed to singles, the tandem of Ria Gerger and Lily Bondy battled with Natalie Johnson and Valeria Kashina before the Cougar team eeked out a 9-7 win.

In singles, Middlebury's three points came from Gerger, Orozco and Paradies. Gerger picked up a point in the top spot after Johnson was forced to retire. Orozco and Paradies cruised to 6-2, 6-3 victories at #3 against Resler and #5 over Yeom, respectively.