Claremont, Calif. - The No. 8 Pomona-Pitzer Women's Tennis team led No. 2 Emory 2-1 after doubles, but the defending national champion Eagles swept singles to take a 7-2 win over the Sagehens on Monday afternoon at the Pauley Tennis Complex. 

The loss was the first of the year for the Sagehens, who fall to 3-1 after winning their first three matches against SCIAC foes. Emory improves to 6-2, with its only two losses coming to Division I opponents. 

Freshman Grace Hruska (pictured) won at No. 1 doubles (with junior Lea Lynn Yen) and had the closest battle in singles, falling 6-7, 6-4, 5-10 to Bridget Harding at No. 5. Hruska trailed 4-1 in the second set, before winning five straight to force a third set tiebreaker, but fell into a 3-0 hole early and couldn't recover. 

Freshman Maryann Zhao also went to a tiebreaker in the first set at No. 3 singles, but ended up on the short end of a 7-6, 6-1 defeat to Katarina Su. Zhao and sophomore Maddie Gordon earned an 8-4 win at No. 3 doubles for the swing point to give the Sagehens the 2-1 lead heading into singles, but the defending national champion flexed its muscles in singles and took the win.

Pomona-Pitzer started five freshmen in its singles lineup, with Yen (a junior) playing at No. 1 the only exception.

The Sagehens will be back in action tomorrow for a home match against regional foe Trinity (Texas).