The College of DuPage women's tennis team battled hard against a strong McHenry squad on Sept. 30 but fell 8-1 on their home court in Glen Ellyn. 

COD opened with doubles play, dropping all three matches despite competitive efforts. Ava Bartels and Semra Jadadic lost 8-2 at No. 1 doubles, while Kathy Johns and Lexi Olofsson fell 8-2 at No. 2. The No. 3 duo of Lily Caron and Martina Ulloa lost 8-2. 

In singles, Ulloa earned COD's lone point with a gritty 6-1, 6-4 win at the No. 6 spot. Jadadic pushed her opponent to a super tiebreak at No. 2 before falling 7-6 (5), 4-6, 10-8. Several other matches were decided by just a few points. 

"We honestly had a chance to win three or four matches, and our Chaps are competing with scholarship teams but falling short by just a few points," head coach Jim Bowers said. "It's great to see the improvement over the season, and we still have time to get better before regionals, where we hope to surprise some opponents."