ONEONTA, NY – The Alfred University women's tennis team remained competitive in their 5-4 loss to Hartwick College on Saturday from Wilber Park.

"Today was the most fun match I have ever been a part of," Head Coach Jordan Crouch said. "The team fought really hard after being down 4-0 and managed to claw their way back into it against a very talented team. I am super excited to see the grit of this group and couldn't be prouder of the fight."

The Saxons (3-7, 2-3 Empire 8) fell behind 4-0 before picking up their first point in singles action thanks to senior Lauren Boshart (Oswego, NY/Oswego), who only needed two sets to defeat Victoria Wilson, 7-5 and 6-2, from No. 3. Sophomore Alex Rossen (Charlton, NY/The Darrow School) gained momentum for AU, defeating Val Kohberger from No. 4, 6-2 and 6-4.

First-year Macy Youngberg (Falconer, NY/Falconer Central) endured a back-and-forth matchup against Ryann Ashby from No. 2, winning in three sets, 6-1, 2-6 and 6-0. The Saxons gained their fourth consecutive point from first-year Abigail Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy), who defeated Jess Sexton, 6-3 and 7-6 (7-5) from No. 5.

With the match down to the final set, sophomore Eve Liu (Yantai, China/Wilbraham and Monson Academy) fought through three sets against Colleen Marsh from No. 6, but lost 6-4, 5-7 and 3-6.

"We have three big matches this week," Crouch said. "I am excited to see our continued improvement towards the Empire 8 postseasons."

The Saxons will travel to play the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford on Wednesday at 4:00 PM.