EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - Returning home for the first match since a spring break road trip, the UW-Eau Claire women's tennis team fell just short of victory, losing 5-4 to the College of St. Scholastica (Minn.) today at the McPhee Physical Education Center.

The Blugolds picked up two wins in the singles competition and added another two victories in doubles play. Taylor Heltne (So.-Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) swiftly defeated her challenger 6-3, 6-2 in the No. 2 match. Playing from the No. 6 spot, Lexi DeMario (Fr.-Verona, Wis./Verona Area) picked up the Blugolds' other singles win, extending the match to three sets with a 6-1, 2-6, 10-3 result.

In doubles, Eau Claire handily picked up the No. 3 match victory when the team of Emily Hiebl (Jr.-Wausau, Wis./East) and Stephanie Wolf (Fr.-Verona, Wis./Verona Area) defeated their opponents 8-3. The No. 1 match of Heltne and Katie Gillman (Fr.-Red Wing, Minn.) featured a closer margin of victory, as the duo narrowly won 9-7. The Blugolds came close to sweeping all three doubles matches, but fell just shy in Gretchen Bachmeier (So.-Eau Claire, Wis./North) and Mary Frassetto's (Fr.-Oshkosh, Wis./West) 9-7 loss in the No. 2 match.

The close loss drops the Blugolds to 10-6 on the season.

Tomorrow, the Blugolds will host St. Catherine University (Minn.) at the YMCA Tennis Center in Eau Claire. Match time is set for 2 p.m.