The University of Rhode Island women’s tennis team competed in a make-up match against top Atlantic 10 Conference foe Fordham University on Saturday, falling to the opposing Rams 4-0.

This contest came about one week after the teams were scheduled to play on April 5, which was postponed due to inclement weather. Saturday’s rainy conditions forced the match to take place indoors at the Centre Court Tennis Club in East Providence.

While the Rams did not score a point in their first conference loss of the season, the bottom half of the URI singles lineup did not finish their matches due to Fordham already clinching the win. Each match was in the middle of tightly contested third sets.

First-years Grace Darcy and Anastasia Pettersson were leading in their final sets, with Darcy up 6-3, 4-6, 3-1 and Pettersson up 4-6, 6-2, 4-3. The duo was also up at the No. 2 doubles spot 5-4 when play was halted due to Fordham already clinching the point.

Third-year Nikki Fernando and first-year Katharina Spieth were taken down in the No. 1 doubles spot 6-3. Fourth-year Klara Nelander and third-year Sophie Herrman also fell 6-4, allowing Fordham to take the match’s first point.

“We got behind the ball a little bit, I think [Fordham] got up on every court,” URI Head Coach Jonas Brobeck said. “We fought back, but it [was] a little too late. So knowing that, they are a very good team and have been winning a lot as well. They’re confident, and you can see that in the way that they play.”

Spieth, Herrman and Fernando fell in straight sets to Fordham, who is projected to be the top seed in the A-10 Tournament, starting on April 24. Competing against tough A-10 teams in the regular season can provide valuable insight for potential future matchups, according to Brobeck.

“The girls feel after a match like this that if we do stuff that we can control at a high level, we can beat a team like this, and we can hopefully see them again in the conference championship,” Brobeck said. “It’s just so important that you play the top team so that you get to see them, you get to compete against them and now you have some scouting notes leading into if we see them again to just get better from it.”

Following the match, Fordham remained undefeated against conference opponents with a 6-0 record. The Rams’ upcoming opponent in their regular season finale is against another top A-10 team, the University of Massachusetts, who is 3-0 in conference matches.

“It’s going to be a great match,” Brobeck said. “[UMass] won the conference last year, and they’re one of the top teams as well. We know that, and we see them quite a bit in the fall tournaments that we play in, so we’re ready for a battle. We just continue to improve and make ourselves ready to compete at the highest level on Saturday, both physically and mentally.”

After competing in eight matches in March, the Rams’ schedule has slowed down in April, as they’ve only participated in two matches this month so far.

“I think it’s been quite good because when you play so much from January all the way through April, it is a long season, right?” Brobeck said. “The girls were traveling a lot; it is a long, tough schedule. So, purposely, I kind of wanted it that way so that we can take care of our bodies and stay healthy.”

Seeding for the conference tournament will be determined based on how each team in the A-10 fares over the weekend. Saturday’s contest against UMass at the URI Tennis Complex will start with a senior day ceremony at 11:30 a.m. for Nelander before the match, which takes place at 1 p.m.

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