MEMPHIS – The No. 59-ranked University of Denver women's tennis team (10-6, 2-0 Summit) came up short in a 4-2 loss to Xavier in a neutral-site match hosted by the University of Memphis on Friday afternoon.
 
The fight for the doubles point came down to a tiebreak in the top match-up, which went the way of Xavier. Denver tied up the scoreboard at 1-1 and then again at 2-2 but could no find the last two wins it needed.
 
Doubles:
Friday's match saw the teams split the first two doubles matches, leaving the No. 1 contest to determine the first point of the dual – and ultimately saw it decided by a narrow margin in a tiebreak.
 
After Xavier earned the early advantage at No. 2 doubles, Denver's No. 3 duo of senior Zoe Adkins and sophomore Natálie Cinková answered with their team-best ninth win together this season. The two Pioneers jumped out to a 4-1 lead before going on to close it out at 6-4.
 
The top doubles match remained tight for its entirety. Xavier's Nugent/Owen grabbed the first break of the match, but Denver senior Marley Lambert and freshman Yunfei Cai answered back immediately to get back on serve and eventually sending the match to the breaker. Xavier held the mini-break advantage at the changeover and won three of the next four points to secure the doubles point.
 
Singles:
Denver and Xavier alternated wins through the first four singles matches, starting with senior Hana Bečirovič Novak, who dropped just three games for her third straight-set singles win of the 2026 dual season and her first since early February. With a break in her opening return game and a second added in the fifth overall game ended with a 6-1 win for the Pioneer. She followed it up by going ahead 4-2 in the second set as part of a four-game win streak to close out the victory.
 
Xavier retook the overall lead at 2-1 after winning the No. 4 match in straight sets, but DU's Lambert again pulled Denver even at No. 2 singles with her fourth consecutive singles win, her third of which came in two sets. The Denver senior had to rally from an early break deficit in the first set but did so quickly, getting on even terms at 2-2. The set would remain on serve all the way until a tiebreak that saw swings in favor of both players, starting with a 5-0 lead for Lambert. Xavier's Madeleine Rexroat – ranked No. 111 nationally – fought back with six straight points won of her own. Lambert fought off two set points before closing it out on her first, taking it at 9-7.
 
The second set also started close until Rexroat went up a break midway through. Lambert responded with four consecutive games won, taking the set and the match with the run.
 
Xavier went up, 3-2, after a tight No. 1 singles battle that featured two extended sets – one a tiebreak and another 7-5. The final two matches went to third sets with Xavier claiming the No. 3 match, 6-3 in the third. DU's Adkins had rallied back after losing the first set to take the second frame by her own score of 6-2, but an early break in the final set proved to be enough to lead Xavier's Emily Flowers to the clinching point.
 
The day's only unfinished match saw Cai capture a set lead at No. 6 singles but give up a late break in the second, sending things to a third set, which was tied at 2-2 when it was abandoned.
 
Up Next:
The No. 59-ranked University of Denver women's tennis team remains on the road for another week with its non-conference finale at Tulsa on Friday, April 3, before resuming Summit League play at Kansas City on Saturday, April 4.