PASADENA (Feb. 23, 2020) – The 21st-ranked Caltech women's tennis team showed its grit and determination but ultimately came up short against No. 22 Southwestern University (Texas) on Sunday afternoon.

Caltech got its first of two wins on the day from sophomore Anna Tifrea (Fullerton, Calif. / Troy) and junior Sarina Liu (Rolling Hills, Calif. / Palos Verdes Peninsula) at first doubles. The duo dominated to an 8-1 victory and gave the host Beavers an early edge heading into singles action.

The lone singles winner of the day for the Beavers proved to be sophomore Jennifer Yu (Queens, N.Y. / Stuyvesant), who defeated her opponent 6-4, 6-4. Meanwhile, classmate Michelle Hyun (Cerritos, Calif. / Gretchen Whitney) fought through a grueling back-and-forth 6-4, 6-4 battle of her own and Tifrea, along with junior Ankita Roychoudhury (Madison, Conn. / Daniel Hand) at fifth singles, came up on the short end of three-set matches. Both players refused to go down easily, however, with each pulling out their second set to force the decisive third.

"It was a fun match," Head Coach Mandy Gamble said. "Michelle inspired her teammates with some of the best shots she has ever hit. Between her comeback and Ankita and Anna fighting through some tough third sets, we had some momentum. There is no better feeling than seeing our fired-up women leaving it all on the court."

Gamble and the Beavers will have some time to regroup before hosting No. 30 Christopher Newport University on Monday, Mar. 2 at 3 p.m.

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