GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Gettysburg College women's tennis team went toe-to-toe with regionally-ranked Franklin & Marshall College before succumbing 6-3 in a hard-fought Centennial Conference match up Tuesday evening.
 
Gettysburg (3-8, 2-3 CC) came agonizingly close to a doubles sweep against F&M (7-4, 4-1 CC), which came into the day ranked 15th in the Atlantic South Region. The No. 2 tandem of juniors Maria Martinovic (Lawrence Township, N.J./Princeton Day School) and Maddie Class (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) kicked things off with a quick 8-4 victory. Paired together for the first time this season, senior Erica Paul (Longmeadow, Mass./Longmeadow) and freshman Shaye Barnes (Rye, N.Y./Rye) fell just short 8-6 at the third flight.
 
The No. 1 doubles match featuring Gettysburg's Samantha Boardman (Greenwich, Conn./Brooks School) and Amanda Vinges (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) and Franklin & Marshall's Allison Wolters and Sarah Haas lasted well past the finish of the first two doubles bouts. Boardman and Vinges held a 6-5 lead before Wolters and Haas went ahead 7-6. The Gettysburg pair climbed back in front 8-7 only to see the Diplomat duo knot the score once again.
 
In the tiebreaker, Wolters and Haas jumped out to a 4-2 advantage. Boardman and Vinges took turns attacking the net and climbed back in front 6-5 to set up match point. The F&M pairing rallied for the final three points with Wolters sealing the decision with a shot down the line for the 9-8 (8-6) decision.
 
Boardman and Vinges rebounded to win their singles matches. Boardman won the solo battle with Haas in straight-sets 6-4, 6-1 at No. 2, while Vinges improved to 9-2 this season with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Gavriel Rubenstein at No. 3.
 
Freshman Ava Vanhelfteren (Fort Wayne, Ind./Canterbury) forced a third-set tiebreaker before falling to Alex D'Angelo 6-3, 3-6, 10-4 at No. 6.
 
Gettysburg visits Muhlenberg College this Saturday at noon.
 
Franklin & Marshall 6, Gettysburg 3
 
 Singles competition
1. Allison Wolters (FMCW) def. Maria Martinovic (GC) 6-3, 6-1
2. Samantha Boardman (GC) def. Sarah Haas (FMCW) 6-4, 6-1
3. Amanda Vinges (GC) def. Gavriel Rubenstein (FMCW) 6-4, 7-5
4. Emma Wu (FMCW) def. Erica Paul (GC) 6-0, 6-0
5. Alex Collins (FMCW) def. Maddie Class (GC) 6-4, 6-2
6. Alex D'Angelo (FMCW) def. Ava Vanhelfteren (GC) 6-3, 3-6, 10-4
 
 Doubles competition
1. Allison Wolters/Sarah Haas (FMCW) def. Samantha Boardman/Amanda Vinges (GC) 9-8 (8-6)
2. Maddie Class/Maria Martinovic (GC) def. Stefana Vujinovic/Gavriel Rubenstein (FMCW) 8-4
3. Marissa Witmer/Emma Wu (FMCW) def. Shaye Barnes/Erica Paul (GC) 8-6
 
Match Notes:
Franklin & Marshall 7-4, 4-1 CC; Regional ranking #15
Gettysburg 3-8, 2-3 CC
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (4,5,1,2,6,3)
T-3:45  A-35