Box Score Springfield, Mo. – SBU Women's Tennis played the Harding University Bisons at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield on Saturday. After battling hard, the Bearcats fell to the Bisons 1-5, placing the team at 1-1 for the season.
 
During the doubles matches, Paula Ballesteros and Defne Ursane in the #1 spot fought hard against their opponents but ultimately fell 5-7. In the #2 spot, Leticia Luiz and Polina Paunova struggled against the Bisons and were defeated 2-6, while the Bisons earned the doubles point for their team. The Bearcats came back in the #3 spot when Maria Clara Miranda Faria Zotti and Giselle Garcia bested their opponents 6-1.
 
Ballesteros earned the first point of the singles matches. She beat her competitor in the #1 spot 7-6 (7-3) and 6-4, only losing one game 3-6. The Bisons earned the next two points in the match. Defene fought for the #2 spot but was defeated 4-6 and 3-6. In the #3 spot, Paunova lost to her opponent 2-6 and 4-6. Luiz in the #4 spot battled back and forth with her competitor, losing one game 0-6 and winning the next 6-2. She came up short in the last game 2-6, and the Bisons gained the clinching point of the match. The Bearcats battled through the end, but Garcia in the #5 spot (6-3, 3-6, 0-1) fell to her opponent. Faria Zotti played in the #6 spot, but the match remained unfinished.
 
The SBU Bearcats return to the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield on Sunday, February 9 to play Drury University at 11:00 AM.