WASHINGTON (April 5, 2024) – Howard University women's tennis squad came up short Friday afternoon, falling to rival Delaware State (DSU), 4-3, at Banneker Recreation Center in D.C.
 
HU (7-9, 3-2 MEAC) took the early match lead, winning all three doubles matches.
 
Junior Nadia Pegram (Naples, Fla.) and rookie Imani Jean (Brooklyn, N.Y.) served as the club's top doubles team, defeating DSU's Clara Kuehnle and Daria Jula, 6-2.
 
Third-year Bison Jordan Grayson (Gaithersburg, Md.) and sophomore Selah Stibbins (Minneapolis) picked up their fifth straight doubles win together, topping the Lady Hornets' Kit Yi Kaye Au-Yeung and Noelani Liu, 6-2.
 
Junior Sifa Butcher (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and newcomer Dana Hall (Miami) rounded out doubles play, knocking off Delaware State's Cmilla Mitolo and Eva Golembiovski, 6-1.
 
In singles play, Jean and fellow classmate Ava Chambers (Wellington, Fla.) won their respective contests in straight sets.
 
Despite their success, DSU rebounded to win the match with four singles victories.
 
Pegram saw her 11-match singles win streak come to an end, falling to Jula in consecutive sets (4-6, 1-6).
 
Kuehnle dropped game one to Butcher, 2-6, but bounced back to win the next two sets (7-6, 7-5) and clinched the victory for DSU.
 
Saturday (April 6), Howard travels to nearby Fairfax, Va., to face George Mason. Match time is slated for 11 a.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.