NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry Lady Indian tennis team opened the 2008 season with a loss, falling Friday to North Georgia, 7-2. The win is the first of the season for the Lady Saints, who are now 1-1.

Newberry got off on the wrong foot by dropping all three doubles matches. The leadoff team of Bethany Poppe (Califon, N.J.) and Autise Mortimer (Nassau, Bahamas) fell 8-5 to Brittany Smith and Katherine Harrison, while No. 2 squad Brittany Grooms (Sumter, S.C.) and Lauren Hartley (Beamsville, Ontario) fell by the same score to the Bulgarian team of Velina Boteva and Lilia Tzvetanova.

The Lady Indians scored their only two points of the day in singles competition. No. 1 Mortimer downed Boteva 6-2, 7-5, while No. 2 Hartley avenged her earlier doubles loss with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 singles win over Tzvetanova.

The Lady Indians go on the road Monday to face USC Aiken.
This article was written by Student Assistant Rob Walden, a senior from Woodruff, S.C.