DECATUR, ILL. — A second tough American Rivers Conference match in as many days ended in a 7-2 loss for the Central College women's tennis team against Luther College Sunday.

With the win, the Norse are now 4-0 in league matches (5-2 overall), while Central falls to 1-2 in conference (4-4 overall).

"We are young and inexperienced," coach Ryun Ferrell said. "The only way you get better is to get experienced. We're going take our lumps a little, but we'll continue to work and get tougher. There is no special formula, we're just going to work harder than everybody else from here on out."

An 8-6 win for the No. 3 doubles tandem of Katie Larson (freshman, Fort Madison) and Sarah Schirm (freshman, Cedar Rapids, Xavier HS) kept Central at a 2-1 deficit following the completion of all three doubles matches.

"They played tough and stepped up," Ferrell said. "Luther is always the best in the league at doubles. To have two freshmen go out there and take care of business at No. 3 is a good thing."

The only singles win for Central came courtesy of Jenna Stewart (senior, Burlington, Notre Dame HS) 6-4, 5-7, 10-4 at No. 2.
           
"Her opponent was in control of the match the entire time until the last five minutes," Ferrell said. "Jenna all of a sudden took control. She played her style of tennis and did a great job."

There are no duals on the schedule this week for the Dutch, instead, Stewart and Schilling are headed to the USTA/ITA Division III Midwest Regional in Saint Peter, Minnesota this weekend. The individual tournament allows Dutch players to face top-notch competition from a variety of schools.
           
"It gives us a chance to focus on our top-two players and get them some good experience," Ferrell said. "They'll be able to get some personal attention, which is good because they have the toughest road from here on out because everybody has a good one and two."