BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Presbyterian College women's tennis team dropped its opening match of the Big South Conference Women's Tennis Championship presented by Musco Lighting against the seventh-seed UNC Asheville Bulldogs on Monday at Gardner-Webb, 4-1.

PC ends the season at 8-17-1. The Blue Hose graduate three seniors in Lucia Leahy (Charlotte, N.C.), Patricia Alves (Campinas, Brazil) and Courtney Gardiner (Powder Springs, Ga.). UNC Asheville improves to 11-9 and plays No. 2 Winthrop on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.

The Blue Hose nearly took the doubles point but Asheville squeezed out a win. Alves and Kayla Stanford (Canton, Ga.) dropped a close No. 2 match to Amryn Soldier and Christin Boissevain, 8-6, while Leahy and Caroline deLoach (Columbia, S.C.) came up short at the third flight in an 8-5 result to Lauren Brooker and Emily McNall.

In singles action, Caroline Ferrari (Rome, Ga.) won by retirement at the second flight to pull the Blue Hose even, 1-1. Boissevain then pushed past deLoach at the fifth flight, 6-0, 6-1, and Soldier topped Alves at the third flight, 6-2, 6-1. Asheville's McNall then sealed the win at No. 4 with a 6-2, 6-1 decision over Leahy. 

Singles competition
1. HAMEL, Zoe (ASHW) vs. RANSOM, Greer (PCW) 6-1, 4-5, unfinished
2. FERRARI, Caroline (PCW) def. RIVERO, Ericka (ASHW) 5-4, retired
3. SOLDIER, Amryn (ASHW) def. ALVES, Patricia (PCW) 6-2, 6-1
4. McNALL, Emily (ASHW) def. LEAHY, Lucia (PCW) 6-2, 6-1
5. BOISSEVAIN, Christin (ASHW) def. deLOACH, Caroline (PCW) 6-0, 6-1
6. LEWIS, Gillian (ASHW) vs. STANFORD, Kayla (PCW) 6-4, 4-3, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. RIVERO, Ericka/HAMEL, Zoe (ASHW) vs. FERRARI, Caroline/RANSOM, Greer (PCW) 6-7, unfinished
2. SOLDIER, Amryn/BOISSEVAIN, Christin (ASHW) def. ALVES, Patricia/STANFORD, Kayla (PCW) 8-6
3. BROOKER, Lauren/McNALL, Emily (ASHW) def. LEAHY, Lucia/deLOACH, Caroline (PCW) 8-5