Leavenworth, Kan.— Spire women's tennis came up just short at home this afternoon, falling 4–3 to Kansas Wesleyan in a matchup decided by doubles play. USM split singles but were edged in doubles, with the Coyotes' two victories in the opening session proving to be the difference overall.

Kansas Wesleyan set the tone early by taking the doubles point with wins at the top two positions. At No. 1 doubles, Frye and Bellamy controlled their pro set, earning a 6–3 decision over Shannon Finn and Mia Rojas. The visitors then secured the team's second doubles win at No. 2, where Salas and Sherer also posted a 6–3 victory over Monserrat Guerrero and Courtney Standley. USM would answer at No. 3 doubles as the pairing of Rowen Weimers and Arsys Rojas delivered a 6–3 win to claim one of the three doubles results, but the damage had begun for the Coyotes.

The Spires would battle back and forth strong in singles, led by a trio of gritty performances in the middle and lower part of the lineup. At No. 3 singles, Monserrat Guerrero staged one of the day's longest battles, rebounding from a 6–3 loss in the opening set to take the second 6–2 and outlast her opponent 7–5 in the decisive third. At No. 6, Courtney Standley delivered under pressure, recovering from a first-set setback to win 6–3 in the second and then claim a match tiebreak 10–7 to secure another point for the Spires.

USM also picked up a straight-sets win in the top half of the lineup, where Shannon Finn earned a point at No. 2 singles to complete the Spires' singles trio. Together with Guerrero's three-set comeback and Standley's tiebreak clincher, the Spires matched Kansas Wesleyan with three singles victories on the day, demonstrating depth and resilience across the order.

Kansas Wesleyan, however, held firm at the remaining singles spots to preserve the dual victory. At No. 1 singles, Bellamy backed up her doubles performance with a 6–4, 6–2 win over Mia Rojas. Sherer produced dominant results of the afternoon at No. 4 singles, cruising to a 6–1, 6–0 decision, and Adami added a crucial point at No. 5 with a 6–4, 6–2 straight-sets win over Arsys Rojas. Those three singles victories, combined with the doubles point, pushed the Coyotes to the final 4–3 margin.

With multiple matches decided in third sets and tiebreaks, the Spires demonstrated the ability to extend and turn around difficult contests, particularly in the lower singles positions. USM will roll into action this Saturday, March 28^th traveling to Sterling College with matches against the Warriors set for an 11:00 a.m. start time.