MEADVILLE, Pa. - The Allegheny women's tennis team ended the opening day of the fall season 1-1, kicking off the year with a tight 5-4 victory over Baldwin Wallace, before falling 8-1 to a tough Edinboro squad at the 2015 Nancy and Harvey Heath Gator Invitational. 

Senior Mikaela Pope and freshman Heidi Mueller were each two-time winners on the morning, as the Gators won their fall opener for the fifth straight season.

Against Baldwin Wallace, the Gators jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead after the doubles portion of the match, which proved valuable, as the Yellow Jackets captured four of the six singles matches.

Allegheny's second flight doubles tandem of Pope and Andrea Brush were the first off the court, winning 8-4.  At third doubles, Jasmine Burton and Kirstie Oravec were victorious by an 8-3 margin, before the top-flight duo of Mueller and Sloane Prince capped off the doubles sweep with a hard-fought 8-6 victory.

Pope again picked up the Gators' first win in singles, with a 6-4, 6-2 decision at second-flight, before Mueller capped off a fine collegiate debut with a 6-1, 7-6 (6) win in the number-three spot.

Though the Gators dropped the remaining four singles bouts, two went the distance, as both Oravec (fourth-flight) and Burton (fifth-flight) won their first sets, before dropping the final two.  

In the second match of the day, the senior pairing of Pope and Brush recorded the lone Gator point at second flight doubles, winning a tight 9-7 match.

In singles play, the Gators lost a pair of tight matches at the fourth and flight positions.  At fourth flight, Mueller lost by a close 7-5, 6-2 score, while Oravec fell 7-6 (7-3), 7-2 at fifth flight. 

The Gators will take on another Division II squad, Mercyhurst University, when they return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 9th at the Robertson Athletic Complex.