BALTIMORE – In a lengthy, hard-fought match at 40 West Racquet Club, the UMBC women's tennis team dropped a 5-2 decision to undefeated Drexel.

Drexel displayed quality play in doubles and captured the point with victories at the Nos. 1 and 3 positions.

The Dragons extended the lead to 2-0 with a triumph at No. 1 singles, but UMBC sophomore Mariami Dolashvili (Alushta, Ukraine) got UMBC on the board with a convincing 6-3, 6-3 victory over Erin Bowsher at the No. 2 flight. UMBC freshman Alice Taylor (Great Gransden, England), in her first match of the spring after recovering from injury, rallied to capture the second set of her No. 4 singles match, but was outlasted by Lea Winkler, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0.

Trailing 3-1, senior Isabel Aldunate (Bowie, Md.) kept UMBC in the match with a come-from-behind, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Clary Rodriguez-Cruz in the No. 3 position. Both senior Shannon Cleary (Little Bay, NSW, Austraila) and freshman Laura Ambrozic (Portoroz, Slovenia) fell a set behind, but battled their foes to the wire in the second set. However, Cleary could not pull out the tie-breaker and fell, 6-2, 7-6 (3), clinching the match for the visitors.

The Retrievers are now 2-4 on the campaign, while Drexel improves to 8-0.

UMBC plays a pair of matches in Morgantown, W.Va., next weekend, taking on WVU and Wright State on Friday and Saturday.    

Women: Drexel 5, UMBC 2
Doubles
1 Pivonka/Rodriguez-Cruz (DU) def. Kurasz/Cleary (UMBC), 6-2
2 Bowsher/Providence (DU) unfinished Tonjann/Victorsson (UMBC), 5-4 (0-40)
3 Winkler/Bunch (DU) def. Aldunate/Dolashvili (UMBC), 6-4

Order of Finish: 1,3*

Singles
1 Nicole Pivonka (DU) def. Madlena Kurasz (UMBC), 6-2, 6-4
2 Mariami Dolashvili (UMBC) def. Erin Bowsher (DU), 6-3, 6-3
3 Isabel Aldunate (UMBC) def. Clary Rodriguez-Cruz (DU), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
4 Lea Winkler (DU) def. Alice Taylor (UMBC), 6-3, 4-6, 6-0
5 Ryshena Providence (DU) def. Laura Ambrozic, (UMBC) 6-4, 7-5
6 Kendra Bunch (DU) def. Shannon Cleary (UMBC), 6-2, 7-6 (3)

Order of finish:   1,2,4,3,6*,5