SALISBURY, Md. – The Catholic University women's tennis team opened the spring season with a 0-9 loss at Salisbury. After coming off a successful fall season, the Cardinals move to 4-3 on the year. 

Despite the result, the Cardinals showed much improvement from their outing against the Sea Gulls in 2023. Paige Brightwell and Meaghan Laniewski combined at No. 2 doubles and found themselves in a neck and neck battle until the final game. They ultimately fell 6-8. 

No. 3 doubles featured the veteran pair of Jane Krukiel and Marissa Stambaugh. The duo was was down 4-7 with their opponents having a match point, but we able to string together a series of key points to win the following two games before falling 6-8.

On the singles side, Mairead O'Hara played a competitive first set in the No. 4 slot. She won four games over the two sets with final scores of 3-6, 1-6. Ava Niggemeier found her stride at the end of her second set and won two of her final three games to finish 0-6, 2-6. 

Stambaugh's match at No. 6 singles was the most competitive of the day. She climbed back from a 1-4 deficit in game one to forced a tie break. She found success key moments down the stretch and fought off two set points in the tiebreaker before losing 5-7. The second set featured more of the same as she went back-and-forth with her opponent before losing 3-5. 

Catholic will return to the courts on March 3 for a Landmark Conference match against Elizabethtown. The match is scheduled to start at noon in Washington, D.C.