TAMPA, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle women's tennis team wrapped up the second of two road games with a loss to Tampa in Sunshine State Conference play on Sunday. The Eagles (3-5, 1-3) and the Spartans engaged in battle for almost four hours, before Tampa (4-2, 3-1) edged the Eagles 4-3.
 
Doubles play was an indicator of things to come in singles as two of the three matches needed tiebreakers to determine the outcome. Tampa won the first point with Maria Khomchenko and Anine Wilberg's 6-1 win over Jessica Christa Wira Hadipoernomo and Mafalda Soares at No. 2. Playing at the top spot, Itxaso Blanco and Carla Cabrera del Hierro battled Ekaterina Grib and Savannah Williams to a 7-6 (3) win, but Tampa clinched the doubles point when Maeva Roquebert and Dakota Busch edged Julia Mautner and Sabrina Ehrenfort 7-6 (2).
 
In singles, three of the six matches went to three sets. After Savannah Williams made it 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Ehrenfort at the fourth spot, the Eagles came back with wins at No. 1 and No. 6 singles, with Blanco downing Grib 6-4, 6-0 and Mautner topping Busch 7-5 6-1 to tie the match at 2-2.
 
Playing at the third position, Wira Hadipoernomo rallied from a 6-4 loss in the first to dispatch Khomchenki 6-1, 6-1 in the subsequent sets, giving the Eagles their first lead of the day.
 
Cabrera del Hierro also dropped her first set on court two, 6-4, but she won the second set against Roquebert 7-5 to force a third. The ERAU freshman went up 4-3 in the final set, but the 41^st-ranked Roquebert won four games in a row to take the match 6-4 and tie the team score at 3-3.
 
In the deciding match on court five, Alessia Tripaldelli outlasted Wilberg 7-6 (2) in her first set. Wilberg posted a commanding 6-0 win in the second and clinched the victory for the Spartans with a 6-4 win in the third.
 
The Eagles' next match will be on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. against Southeastern Louisiana at the Crotty Tennis Complex.