RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Meredith College tennis team put forth an excellent battle in Friday's 8-1 loss to the visiting Virginia Wesleyan Marlins. The final score fails to represent the effort by all 12 players in Meredith's first Division III match of the season and one that lasted four and one half hours.

Three sets were forced into a tiebreaker, including the Avenging Angels' lone win at no. 1 doubles. Jacqueline Benton and Elizabeth Johnson fought off Makayla Velic and Audrey Bally 9-8 (7-5) to capture the win. No. 2's Gillian Emerson and Alexandra Cheney came up just short in a 9-7 loss to Katie Staman and Courtney Simmons.

One of the best competitions on the day came at no. 5 singles as Meredith's Logan King and Jacklyn Cheely fought an evenly matched three-set contest. Cheely finished off King 6-3 in the third for the win.

In the fourth spot Simmons claimed an 8-6 tiebreaker to win set one, and Emily Wilkinson tied the match with a 6-4 second set victory. Simmons held on in the third 6-4 for the match. Staman and Johnson capped off the day with a three-set battle at no. 3.

The Avenging Angels return to action at home Saturday with a 1 p.m. non-conference contest versus the visiting Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets.