ORLANDO, Fla. – The William Smith tennis team dropped a thrilling nonconference matchup to Springfield 4-3 this afternoon to close out its spring break trip. With the loss, the Herons fall to 3-3 on the season, while the Pride improve to 3-2 overall.
 
William Smith opened the nonconference battle strong in doubles play, winning two of three matches to secure the doubles point. Senior Haley Levine and junior Grace Magna grabbed a dominant 6-2 win over Jomkwan Vettayawaikoon and Natalia Peyon in the No. 1 spot to move to 4-2 on the season.
 
In the No. 2 spot, junior Mae Kellersman and sophomore Bethany Walker put up a fight but fell 6-4 to Ava Shea and Peyton Gaudreau. The doubles point came down to the No. 3 spot as senior Marin Montagne and sophomore Mia Jacobs defeated Erica Jud and Alyssa Elliott 6-4 to earn the point for the Herons. The duo's point clinching win was their first as partners this season.
 
The two sides continued to fight in singles play as Springfield came away with four of the six points to secure the win over William Smith. Levine continued to impress in the No. 2 spot, rallying to defeat Vettayawaikoon 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 to move to 3-2 on the season.
 
Magna secured the second singles point for the Herons as she came from behind to defeat Jud 1-6, 6-1, 6-0 in the No. 3 spot. She is now 4-1 in dual match singles play this season. The match came down to the No. 4 spot as Walker battled against Elliott, but Springfield's No. 4 took a tight 7-6, 7-5 win over Walker to secure the victory.

COACHES CORNER:
 
"Today was a very tough battle against a talented Springfield team," said Head Coach Emme Levenson. "The Herons fought hard and the match came down to a few points. We finished spring break prepared for league play ahead."

UP NEXT:
 
William Smith will be back in action on Saturday, March 21, when it opens Liberty League play at No. 40 Skidmore. First serve between the Herons and the Thoroughbreds is set for 2 p.m.