GREENWOOD, S.C. - The Newberry College women's tennis team kicked off the 2009 season Tuesday but fell to the undefeated Lander Bearcats, 9-0.

Autise Mortimer (Nassau, Bahamas) and Rebekah Crouch (Saluda, S.C.) were the first doubles team for Newberry and fell to Lander's team of Anni Pajunen and Ana Luiza Zaia, 8-3. Kelly Ceesborough (Harlem, Ga.) and Denise Williams fell to Eliza Adusumilli and Melanise Newbold (8-1), while Allison Kaiser (Saluda, S.C.) and Lindsey Kaiser (Saluda, S.C.) gave up a flawless victory to the tandem of Vuokko Vahatalo and Caitlin Fell (8-0).

The Bearcats were almost perfect in singles play as they earned perfect scores in five different matches. Crouch lost to Pajunen; Cheesborough lost to Adusumilli; Allison Kaiser lost to Fell; Lindsey Kaiser lost to Zaia; and Williams lost to Newbold all by the score of 6-0, 6-0. The best singles performance of the day came from Mortimer who lost to Vahatalo by the score of 6-4, 6-2.

The Newberry College women's tennis team now stands at 0-1 overall. They will return to action this Saturday to take on Georgia College and State on the road at 1 p.m. Lander (3-0) will also compete on the road this Saturday against North Greenville at 10:30 a.m.