The Ohio State women’s tennis team suffered their first loss Saturday against the 12th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, 7-2.”I was pleased with our performance and it was very encouraging to see us compete so well with 12th-ranked Tennessee.” said coach Chuck Merzbacher. Tennessee beat Illinois earlier this year, 9-0, Merzbacher said.”We remained close the entire match,” Merzbacher said. “We were only losing 3-2 at one point during the singles matches and could have gone into doubles three-all.”Winning for the Buckeyes were freshman Kristy Dascoli and Briana Harris, both from Bradenton, Fla.Dascoli, playing at first singles, defeated Tennessee senior Manisha Malhotra, an all-American who is ranked 17th in the nation, 6-7, 6-1, 7-6. At second singles, Harris overpowered senior Margi Lepsi, also an all-American, 6-4, 6-2.”I went out there with a positive attitude and wanting to win the match.” Harris said. Playing at sixth singles, freshman Cara Whittingham from Glen Waverly, Australia, lost a close, but tough match against Tennessee’s Megan Russell 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.Playing at first doubles, Dascoli and Harris lost to Tennessee’s Lepsi and Malhorta 8-6. “Everyone really played their hearts out, but we just came up short,” Harris said. “All the scores were close and I think we can beat them next year.” “I have an extremely talented team that can compete very well,” Merzbacher said. “They are sharp and focused, and I am proud of every single one of them.”This Saturday, the Buckeyes host West Virginia in Jesse Owens West.”This will also be a good match because the team is improving with every match,” Merzbacher said. “They build on the things that went right and fix the things that didn’t.”