UPLAND, Ind. – Grace's women's tennis team lost a 5-4 nailbiter to Taylor on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Crossroads League Tournament.

The Lady Lancers (6-6), who entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed, nearly recovered from an early 2-1 deficit after doubles' play. Grace rallied to tie the match before ultimately falling in the final set.

Natalia Kurkova and Kristin Cassidy picked up Grace's only win in doubles' play with an 8-3 scoreline at No. 1 doubles.

Kurkova made short work of her opponent at No. 1 singles, winning 6-3, 6-4. Gabrielle Lawrence also won in straight sets (6-3, 6-3) at No. 6 singles, and Jayna Huber's 6-2, 7-6 (7-1) win at No. 4 singles leveled the match at 4-4.

The match's outcome boiled down to the only singles' match to last three sets – No. 2 singles with Kristin Cassidy. After splitting the first two sets, the hard-fought third set eventually swung Taylor's way 6-4 as the Trojans advanced to the semifinals on Thursday.

"It's awesome to watch a team grow before your eyes. This team continued to get better every match and put our team back on the map," said Grace head coach Scott Moore. "I told them before the year started that it's important to leave a program in a better position than when you started, and that's exactly what Sarah and Kristin did for us. Because of their leadership and positive attitude, our program is in a much better position. It's now up to the returning players to take this program to the next level."

DOUBLES

1. Natalia Kurkova/Kristin Cassidy won 8-3
2. Gabrielle Lawrence/Mariah Zumbrun lost 6-8
3. Katie Etter/Sarah Hinkel lost 2-8

SINGLES

1. Kurkova won 6-3, 6-4
2. Cassidy lost 6-2, 3-6, 4-6
3. Hinkel lost 3-6, 3-6
4. Jayna Huber won 6-2, 7-6 (7-1)
5. Zumbrun lost 1-6, 0-6
6. Lawrence won 6-3, 6-3