ORLANDO, Fla. — The Saint Mary's University women's tennis team had its chances against Adrian in the teams' spring trip opener Monday afternoon.
 
Unfortunately, the Cardinals were unable to convert on those opportunities, as SMU dropped a 7-2 decision to the Bulldogs at the USTA National Tennis Complex.
 
"It was a tough day for us," said Halberg. "Adrian is a vastly improved team that played extremely well and deserved the result they got. The ladies had their chances, but we faded a bit in the tiebreakers.
 
"We were a bit off today, and getting in late from a delayed flight certainly didn't help."
 
Adrian grabbed a 2-1 lead after the three doubles matches, with Peyton Buerman (Shawano, Wis.) and Ella Boomgaarden (St. Peter, Minn.) collected SMU's win with an 8-6 victory at No. 3.
 
Elena Ruzevich (Chicago, Ill.) recorded a straight-set, 7-5, 6-2 win at No. 5 singles to account for SMU's lone singles victory, while Boomgaarden, Buerman, and Emily Dondelinger (Duluth, Minn.) all fell in third-set tiebreakers.
 
The Cardinals (3-5 overall) return to the USTA National Tennis Complex courts on Tuesday, squaring off against King's College at 9 a.m.