Gophers Fall 8-1 to Division II Fighting Scots

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Facing its first Division II opponent of the season, Goucher was unable to keep up with Edinboro this afternoon, dropping an 8-1 decision to the Fighting Scots in its third match at the Spring Tennis Fest.

Emily Ruff (Easton, Md./Easton) picked up the lone point for the Gophers (5-6) with a convincing 6-0, 6-1 victory over Nevena Kulina at No. 5 singles. Ruff has now won three of her last four singles matches overall, and she is 2-0 in her matches this week.

Goucher had two other opportunities to pick up singles points, but Amanda Bercovici (Hackensack, N.J./Bergen Tech) and Kirsten Cianci (Bolton, Conn./Bolton) each fell in super tiebreakers.

Bercovici, playing her second regionally-ranked opponent in as many days, suffered a 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (10-4) setback to Edinboro's Oranza Carrillo (ranked 19th in the Atlantic region) at No. 1. Cianci, meanwhile, lost a 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (14-12) nail-biter to Raquel Holiday at No. 4.

Edinboro lost a total of seven games in taking a 3-0 lead after the doubles matches. Bercovici and Alex Walsh (Greens Farm, Conn./Staples) came closest to grabbing a point for the Gophers at No. 1 doubles, with the pair falling 8-4 to Carillo and Holiday, who came in as the ninth-ranked doubles team in the Atlantic region for D-II. The Fighting Scots (7-5) are now a perfect 6-0 in their matches on Hilton Head Island over the last two years.

Goucher concludes its trip tomorrow with a pair of matches. The Gophers compete against D-II Kutztown at 11 a.m. before facing off against St. Norbert at 4 p.m.