Racers Fall on the Road to North Alabama

Saturday, March 14

Florence, AL

12 p.m.

Murray State

North Alabama

3/15/2026 1:03:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score

The Murray State Racers (2-6) faced a tough road environment on Saturday, falling 4-0 to a high-powered North Alabama (10-2) squad at the UNA Tennis Courts in Florence. Despite the final scoreline, the afternoon began with a burst of momentum for the blue and gold at the No. 3 doubles position.

Barbora Hermanova and Bruna Melato delivered a commanding performance, dispatching Louise Booker and Sammie Schouten 6-2 to give Murray State an early advantage in the race for the doubles point. However, the Lions managed to stabilize on the other courts, with Yuna Kadowaki and Yu Kikawa falling 6-2 at the top flight and the doubles point ultimately slipping away after a 6-3 loss by Arden Dethridge and Sofia Issakova at the No. 2 spot.

Singles play proved to be a steep uphill battle as North Alabama's lineup found their rhythm quickly across the middle of the order. The Lions secured the three points needed to clinch the dual match with straight-set victories at the No. 2, 3, and 4 positions. Sofia Issakova was defeated 6-0, 6-3 by Sammie Schouten, followed by a 6-4, 6-1 loss for Yu Kikawa against Mathilde Delaney. The match officially came to an end when Emma Ansorge topped Yuna Kadowaki 6-1, 6-3 at the No. 2 flight.

While the team result was decided early, the Racers were showing significant heart in the matches that remained unfinished. Valeria Chaikovskaia was putting on a clinic at the No. 1 singles spot, having won the first set 6-3 and leading 4-3 in the second against Eeva Ristola when play was halted. Furthermore, Rebecca Widan displayed remarkable resilience at No. 6, battling through a first-set tiebreak to win it 7-6 (7-2) before her match was called.

The Racers will look to get back on track tomorrow as they take on Auburn University- Montgomery at 10 a.m. central.