JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — The Samford women's tennis team dropped a 5-2 Southern Conference decision to East Tennessee State University on Friday afternoon at the Dave Mullins Tennis Complex. With the loss, the Bulldogs move to 10-9 overall and 2-3 in conference play, while ETSU remains undefeated in the SoCon at 6-0.

Samford started strong by securing the doubles point for an early 1-0 lead. The duo of Eleni Liakonis and Hailey Troup earned a 6-2 victory at the No. 2 position, while Laila Fishman and Cathy Cardona-Carballosa posted a dominant 6-1 win at No. 3. The Buccaneers won the No. 1 doubles match.

In singles play, ETSU captured five of the six matches to clinch the victory. Cardona-Carballosa provided the lone point for the Bulldogs at the No. 5 position. After dropping the first set 1-6, she rallied to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-3. Fishman also went the distance in a hard-fought match at No. 4 singles before ultimately falling 2-6, 6-3, 3-6. At the top singles spot, Sara Erenda forced a tiebreaker in the first set but fell 7-6, 6-2. ETSU secured straight-set wins over Lea Erenda, Eleni Liakonis and Hailey Troup to seal the match. This marks Samford's third consecutive road loss in conference play.

The Bulldogs will return home to face UNC Greensboro on Friday, April 10.