It was a tough week on the courts for Ferrum College women’s tennis, as the Panthers dropped back-to-back Conference Carolinas matches to Chowan University and Francis Marion University, falling to 0-9 overall on the season.

Ferrum opened the week at home on March 18 at the Burrows Tennis Courts, where Chowan secured a 5-2 victory behind a strong showing in singles play. The Hawks claimed four of six singles matches to seal the win, but Ferrum found bright spots at the top of the lineup.

Bianca Solorzano, first-year, led the way with a  6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 1 singles over Feidi AbreuRodriguez, while Stephanie Porras, first-year, earned a win at No. 2 after taking the first set 6-1 before her opponent, Felicitas Grillo, was forced to retire.

The Panthers also picked up momentum in doubles, as the duo of Solorzano and Porras battled to a 6-4 win at the No. 1 spot over Marcia Aragon and Janna Lerma, giving the Panthers their first point of the match.

However, Chowan controlled the remainder of play. Janna Lerma defeated Hannah Huffman, graduate, at No. 3 singles, while Victoria Videla and Diva Datta earned straight-set wins over first-years Olivia Eisenman and Chloe Smith, respectively. Isabella Turner added another point for the Hawks by default at No. 6. In doubles action, AbreuRodriguez and Videla topped the Ferrum pair of Huffman and Eisenman at No. 2, while Grillo and Aime Vera secured the No. 3 spot by default, helping Chowan close out the match.

The Panthers then returned to action on March 21 at Franklin County Recreational Park in Rocky Mount against Francis Marion, falling 6-1 in conference play.

Once again, Solorzano provided a highlight for the Panthers, grinding out a hard-fought 7-6, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles for the only point of the match. She remained undefeated in singles play during the week.

Despite that effort, Francis Marion controlled the match from the start. The Patriots swept all three doubles flights, as Janka Juhasz and Magdalena Skachova defeated Solorzano and Porras at No. 1, while Lara Lanno and Alyssa Boschin handled Huffman and Eisenman at No. 2. Natasha Beader and Jensen Gibbs secured the No. 3 doubles point by default to give Francis Marion the early edge.

The Patriots carried that momentum into singles, where Skachova defeated Porras at No. 2, and Juhasz and Lian Timmermans earned wins over Huffman and Eisenman at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. Jensen Gibbs and Natasha Beader each picked up additional points by default at No. 5 and No. 6 to seal the team victory.

Now sitting at 0-9 overall and 0-3 in Conference Carolinas play, Ferrum will look to regroup as the Panthers continue their season, returning to the court tomorrow, when they go against Young Harris College. Games begin at 1 p.m.