MIDDLEBURY, VT. – The untimely end of a 15-match winning streak for the Wesleyan women's tennis team came at the hands of a highly anticipated No. 5 Middlebury College on Saturday morning, marking just the second loss of the season for Wesleyan in a 5-3 NESCAC loss from Middlebury's Nelson Recreation Center.

While the Cardinals (15-2 overall, 8-1 NESCAC) hold the edge in national ranking, the Panthers (13-2 overall, 9-0 NESCAC) remain now as the only undefeated team in the NESCAC, holding the top stop from the Cardinals as both teams head into next weekend's NESCAC Tournament in Middletown. Team performances this season could see a rematch for the title. The Cardinals are the defending champions.

The Panthers swept doubles play, earning the first point of the morning and the match. Heading into singles play, Sarah Youngberg '26 cut the match score in half to get the Cardinals into the books. Poised as the No. 3, Youngberg took out Claudia Miller in two sets, the only Cardinal to do so, running a final 6-3, 6-4 score.

Lane Durkin '27, who remains unbeaten at 15-0, was the next Cardinal to finish, bringing the team within one match win of the Panthers. Facing Elsie Van Wieren at No. 2, Durkin went three rounds with Van Wieren after falling in set two. Van Wieren tied the match up at two, forcing the third set, but set three went to a tiebreak as Van Wieren tied Durkin at six games. Durkin kept her edge and held off for a 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2) final.

Durkin was not the only Cardinal to go three sets. Lucinda Gatsiounis '28 was forced to a tiebreaker set at No. 6 as she took on Nina Farhat. It was Farhat that forced the match to a third set after a win in set two, but following in her teammates' lead, Gatsiounis fought to end and was rewarded with a final score of 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.

The Cardinals will close the regular season on Sunday morning, April 27, when they take on No. 19 Williams on the road with action beginning at 10 a.m.