EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The McKendree University women's tennis team snapped a three-match losing skid here Saturday by picking up a 5-2 win over Southern Indiana in Great Lakes Valley Conference action at the USI Tennis Center.
 
With the win, McKendree improved to 7-9 overall and 1-4 in the GLVC, while USI falls to 7-8 overall and 0-4 in the league.
 
"The energy today was very positive, and this result shows the hard work we have been putting in practice," junior team captain Viola Cipriani (Arezzo, Italy/Liceo Classico Francesco Petrarca) said following the match. "From today, we will be just moving forward and keep growing as a team."
 
In Saturday's match, the Bearcats opened by winning the doubles point for the ninth time this season as McKendree won at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. USI, though, would prevent a Bearcats sweep with its win at the No. 3.
 
Cipriani and sophomore Camilla Fonseca (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Colegio Saber) picked up 6-4 at the No. 1 spot against Lauren Rowe and Rachel McCorkle and then junior Mariana Caicedo Mora (Cucuta, Colombia/American International School of Mallorca) and sophomore Rhyan Cook (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington North) won 6-1 at the No. 2 spot over Abby Brown and Chloe McIsaac.
 
USI's No. 3 team of Abby Myers and Kylie Skepnek picked up a 6-3 win over sophomores Maria Vitoria Salomao (Minas Geralds, Brazil/Belo Horizonte) and Emily Kettering (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community West).
 
Leading 1-0 in the match, McKendree turned their focus to singles and in singles action, the Bearcats would win at the No. 1, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 spot to seal their match victory.
 
The Bearcats first win in singles came at the No. 3 spot as Cook defeated Brown, 6-0, 6-3 to give the Bearcats a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Cipriani improved to 7-8 in singles on the season following her 6-1, 6-2 win at the No. 1 spot.
 
USI would pick up its first point in the match following a win by McCorkle at No. 2 singles over Fonseca, 6-3, 6-3.
 
Mora moved to 5-6 on the season following her 6-1, 6-3 win at the No. 5 spot to give the Bearcats a 4-1 lead in the match.
 
Madison Windham would then pick up a 6-2, 6-4 win at the No. 6 spot over Kettering to pull USI within 4-2.
 
McKendree final singles win came at the No. 4 spot as Salomao picked up a win as she won the first game, 6-4 and then collected a 7-6 (7-1) in the second set.
 
The Bearcats will close out the regular season next weekend (April 22-23) as they play a 2 p.m. match on April 22 at Lindenwood University, before hosting Maryville on April 23 at 11 a.m. at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, Ill.