PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's tennis team played its first match of the 2023 season on the road Saturday, facing first-year Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference foe Carlow University.

The Lions (1-0, 1-0 AMCC) earned a 6-3 victory, winning two out of three in doubles and four out of six in singles to hand Carlow (0-1, 0-1 AMCC) the defeat.

In the No. 1 doubles spot, Mikhaela Merca (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin)/Caitlin Blessel (Saint Marys, PA/Saint Marys) teamed up for an 8-2 victory. Isabella Rhoades (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone)/Lauren Stich (Ellwood City, PA/Lincoln) followed with an 8-5 win in the No. 2 spot.

Penn State Altoona's success carried over into singles play, including winning two matches that went to tiebreak.

Merca earned a strong 6-0, 6-2 decision over her opponent in the No. 1 match, while Blessel recorded her first collegiate singles win in the No. 2 spot, where she won a back-and-forth match by a 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (9-7), 10-8 decision. Rachel Stricek (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) blanked her opponent in the No. 3 match, winning it 6-0, 6-0. Stich rallied from a first-set loss in the No. 5 match, taking it by a score of 5-7, 6-1, 10-7.

Penn State Altoona women's tennis wraps up its season-opening road trip tomorrow, Sunday, September 3, when the Lions will face off against non-conference opponent Waynesburg University at 2 p.m.