Playing without their number one player, the Nebraska Wesleyan University women's tennis team opened Great Plains Athletic Conference play with a 5-4 win at Doane College on Tuesday (April 1).

NWU extends their GPAC regular season winning streak to 23 matches and improves to 5-8 overall, 1-0 in conference play.

The Prairie Wolves, who were without No. 1 player Katherine Ternent, won two of the three doubles matches and three of six singles matches.

In doubles, Hannah Husmann and Natalie Cech won 8-2 at No. 1 doubles and Jennifer Heywood and Addie Litterick joined up to win 8-2 at No. 2 doubles.  Doane won the No. 3 doubles match 8-6.

Singles action was very competitive as each team won three matches.  Husmann stepped up to No. 1 singles to defeat Kendra Ritter 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 in her first No. 1 singles competition of the year.  Cech rallied to earn the win at No. 2 singles over Torey Kogel, 4-6, 6-1, 10-4.  The final NWU player to earn a win in singles play was Addie Litterick at No. 4 singles.  Litterick defeated Lani Brown in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1.

Nebraska Wesleyan University 5, Doane College 4

Singles competition
1. Husmann, Hannah (NWUW) def. Ritter, Kendra (DOAW) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
2. Cech, Natalie (NWUW) def. Kogel, Torey (DOAW) 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-4)
3. Patterson, Jade (DOAW) def. Heywood, Jennifer (NWUW) 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (10-2)
4. Litterick, Addie (NWUW) def. Brown, Lani (DOAW) 6-2, 6-1
5. Pfeifer, Allison (DOAW) def. Harder, Courtney (NWUW) 6-0, 7-5
6. Bamesberger, Kayla (DOAW) def. Bridges, Jamie (NWUW) 6-2, 6-0

Doubles competition
1. Husmann, Hannah/Cech, Natalie (NWUW) def. Ritter, Kendra/Kogel, Torey (DOAW) 8-2
2. Heywood, Jennifer/Litterick, Addie (NWUW) def. Patterson, Jade/Pfeifer, Allison (DOAW) 8-2
3. Brown, Lani/Bamesberger, Kayla (DOAW) def. Bridges, Jamie/Boyd, Mo (NWUW) 8-6