The men’s and women’s tennis teams took on Austin Peay State Saturday at the Evansville Tennis Center.

Coming into the matches, USI had a record of 1-3 (men’s) and 1-4 (women’s). Although both teams beat Thomas More University earlier in the month, as a whole, USI had an early struggle to start the season. For the men’s team, Mathys Bove, sophomore sports management major, entered the match with a record of 2-1-1 in his last four singles matches. Sofia Davidoff, freshman biology major, came into the match 2-2-1 in doubles, establishing a solid partnership with Antonia Ferrarini, freshman marketing major.

The USI women’s team tipped off at 3 p.m., with Lauren Rowe, senior environmental studies major, and Rachel McCorkle, senior mechanical engineering major. In a tough start, this partnership fell to APSU by a score of 0-6. Next up, Davidoff and Ferrarini looked promising but fell 4-6.

Wrapping up the doubles, Anais Negrail, freshman biology major, and Madison Windham, junior food and nutrition major, fell behind early but attempted to mount a comeback. This comeback resulted in them trailing 5-6 at one point, but they ultimately fell short as the match ended in an unfinished decision. As a whole, it was a tough day for the women’s team, as they fell to APSU by a score of 0-7.

The USI men’s team began at 3 p.m. Bove and Axel Sabourin, sophomore business administration major, fell in a tough match by a score of 1-6. Next, Dylan Brown, senior exercise science major, and Guy Finkelstein, junior computer science major, also lost by a score of 2-6. However, Eytan Michaeli, freshman undecided, and Quinten Gillespie, junior mathematics major, competed in a tough match, eventually finishing in an unfinished decision after being down 4-3.

For singles, Bove, Brown and Gillespie captured victory, while the rest, with the addition of Blake Deaton, junior sport management major, fell in close matches. Overall, the men’s team competed well in the singles competition but ultimately lost 3-4 to APSU.

As a result of today’s matches, the men’s team fell to 1-4, while the women’s team fell to 1-5. The men’s team will travel to Louisville, KY, to face Indiana University in a match Saturday, hoping to grab some momentum. The women’s team will host Indiana University–Purdue University at 2 p.m. March 1 in an attempt to do the same.