Syracuse, N.Y. - The Le Moyne College women's tennis team suffered their first loss of the season Friday afternoon, a 4-3 non-conference defeat at the hands of Saint Thomas Aquinas at the Nottingham High School tennis courts. 

The Saint Thomas Aquinas Spartans (3-1) won two out of the three doubles matches to claim the first point of the day. The Dolphins pair of Birdem Oz (Istanbul, Turkey/Ted Ankara College Foundation HS) and Francesca Lilliegren (Guayaquil, Ecuador/Colegio Alemán Humboldt Guayaquil) defeated Karina Blas and Vera Gak Anagrova 7-5 in the number one doubles match, however Marta Nunez (Rye, N.Y./Antonio Lopez (Spain)) and Fiona Pepper (Challapampa, Peru/Colegio Anglo Americano Prescott) went down 3-6 in number two doubles, and the team of Isabella Barona (Manta, Ecuador/Talentos de Manta) and Brooke Fernandez (Shirley, N.Y./William Floyd) dropped their first doubles match of the season in a 3-6 defeat to Paula Palero and Eliza Mulder in the number three doubles match. 

Barona took down Karina Blas 6-4, 6-2 in the number one singles match, and Oz defeated Viktoriia Pavlovets 6-2, 6-3 in number two singles to earn a couple points for the Dolphins. Lilliegren also earned a point for Le Moyne in singles play, defeating Jemima Parkinson 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in the number five singles match. In number three singles Nunez lost to Palero by a score of 2-6, 1-6, and Saint Thomas Aquinas' Villegas Robles rallied to defeat Pepper 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. The Spartans also received a point from Mulder, who bested Fernandez 6-3, 6-4 in the number six singles match.

Here's what head coach Jeff Lonczak '03 had to say after the match:

"It was a terrific hard fought 4-3 non-conference battle. All credit to (Saint Thomas Aquinas College) as they are a very deep team. I'm looking forward to senior day tomorrow against Bentley."

The Dolphins will host Bentley at the Nottingham High School tennis courts for a Northeast-10 Conference dual match and a Le Moyne senior day celebration at 12 p.m.