EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.  -  In the Cougars' second-to-last match of the regular season, SIUE tennis dropped a 5-2 decision to league-leading Southeast Missouri on Friday afternoon.

"It was good to see us step up and play at a high level against an undefeated-in-conference SEMO team," said SIUE Head Coach Adam Albertsen following the match. "Our doubles was better and it was great to see Cal[laghan Adams] and Jordan [Schifano] grind out singles wins."

The Cougars mustered a strong start to the match, as the duo of Vanessa Reinicke and Caitlyn Sporing secured a 6-3 win on the No. 3 doubles court. However, SIUE would eventually drop the point, as the visiting Redhawks would take a narrow 7-5 win on the No. 1 doubles court.

The match would then head into singles play, where two Cougars would earn victories - senior and Edwardsville native Callaghan Adams notched a 6-3, 6-3 win on the No. 6 court, and freshman Jordan Schifano fought to a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 victory on the No. 3 court. Fabiola Perez, who played on the No. 4 singles court, narrowly dropped a three-set fixture, 7-5, 1-6, 4-6. Jill Lambrechts, Vanessa Reinicke, and Melissa Vizcardo also competed in singles play.

"We have a quick turnaround and will have to play well against UT Martin," added Albertsen. "They have been playing much better and coming off a couple OVC wins."

The Cougars will close out the 2021 regular season tomorrow at noon against UT Martin. The Red & White are still in contention for a spot in the upcoming OVC Women's Tennis Tournament, as SIUE joins Belmont, Jacksonville State, and UT Martin as the four teams vying for that final postseason spot. Live stats will be available for tomorrow's contest.