UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University women's tennis team fell in its 2013 season opener today (Sept. 6) by a score of 7-2 in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) match against Ashland University.

Saginaw Valley notched its first point when the team of Izabella Ismailova (Almaty, Kazkhstan / Military College of Sport) and Charlotte Wong (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island / Colonel Gray Senior High) defeated their opponents by a score of 8-1 in #2 doubles. 

Junior Meghan Woody (Midland, Mich. / Dow HS) picked up the other point for SVSU, winning her #2 singles match by scores of 7-5, 6-2. 

Although this was the end of Cardinal scoring, freshman Ismailova showed an impressive first outing, barely being edged out via a tiebreaker by her opponent in #1 doubles by scores of 6-4, 3-6 and 10-6.

Senior Ashley Giordano (Alpena, Mich./Alpena HS) competed in her first live action since her sophomore season, as a shoulder injury held her out of competition.  She fell at the #5 singles position.

With the loss, Saginaw Valley falls to 0-1 overall on the season and 0-1 in the GLIAC while Ashland improves to 1-0 overall and 1-0 in league play.

The Cardinals will return to action tomorrow (Sept. 7) for a 10:00 AM home match against the Tiffin University Dragons.