Gophers Fall to Sea Gulls in Marathon Spring Opener

SALISBURY, Md. — A long day of waiting to get on the court for its spring opener ultimately ended in defeat for the Goucher women's tennis team, with the Gophers falling 8-1 to Salisbury. The match, originally scheduled for 3 p.m., was moved indoors due to poor weather and ended just before midnight.

Amanda Bercovici (Hackensack, N.J./Bergen Tech) grabbed the lone victory for Goucher (2-3), outlasting Natalie Savage 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (7-9), 1-0 (10-3) in a super tiebreaker from the No. 1 singles position. Bercovici, ranked 24th in the Atlantic South region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, improved to 5-0 in dual matches this season and 10-1 overall.

The Sea Gulls (2-2), rated as the seventh-best team in the Atlantic South, did not drop a set in the other five singles matches.

Salisbury jumped out to a 3-0 lead after doubles, as Bercovici and Alex Walsh (Greens Farm, Conn./Staples) fell 8-2 to Savage and Roxanne Alban from the top spot, Kelsey Turner (Philadelphia, Pa./Germantown Friends) and Kirsten Cianci (Bolton, Conn./Bolton) dropped an 8-3 decision to Katie Youlios and Allison Lutz at No. 2 and Emily Ruff (Easton, Md./Easton) and Hanora Barron (Auburn, N.Y./Auburn) suffered an 8-3 setback to Sam Babo and Claudia Lohn at No. 3. The Sea Gulls clinched the match with a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles.

Goucher hosts its first home matches of the spring season this Sunday. The Gophers square off against Stevenson at 10 a.m., and they face St. Mary's (Md.) at 2:30 p.m. later that afternoon.