SUPERIOR, Wis. – The UW-Superior women's tennis team defeated Martin Luther, 7-2, in the 'Jackets' Upper Midwest Athletic Conference opener at Lydia Thering Fieldhouse on Saturday.
 
Superior improved to 4-6 on the season, while dropping the Knights to 2-8 overall.
 
UWS won doubles, 2-1, as Mariah Linder (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids) and Taylor Kane (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids) topped Sophia Birner and Ella Loersch on court two, 8-6, and Emily Wald (Antigo, Wis./Antigo) and Kitana Honkola (Eveleth, Minn./Eveleth-Gilbert) beat Dana Pietrzyk and Tatum Bollmeier, 8-2, on three. Martin Luther's Anna Hemmelman and Morgan Shevey tightened things with an 8-5 win against Megan Dulong (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids) and Maya Callaway (Duluth, Minn./East) on court one.
 
Honkola beat Pietrzyk, 6-3, 6-0, extending the Superior lead to 3-1. Alison Tollas (Ashland, Wis./Ashland) then blanked Birner, 6-0, 6-0, on court two for a 4-1 UWS advantage. 
 
Linder sealed the match for the 'Jackets with a 6-1, 6-1, victory over Loersch on court four. 
 
Other victories went to Kane on court six, who dropped only one game in the second set to Bollmeier, and Wald over Shevey, 7-5, 6-3, on three.
 
Superior next travels to Lakeville, Minn., to face North Central Friday at Lifetime Athletic Club. First serve is set for 5 p.m.