While it may seem like the worst of times, NIU women’s tennis coach Patty Gorth hopes something good can come out of a weekend in which Miami (Ohio) University defeated the Huskies by an 8-1 margin.

The 8-6 Huskies were originally slated to play Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, Sunday. Due to a contract conflict, however, that match was postponed.

Sarah Murfey gave NIU a victory at No. 1 singles, defeating Miami’s Amy Boyle in a three-set (4-6, 6-3, 6-2) match. Unfortunately for the visitors, that would be their only triumph of the day. The rest of the afternoon was a matter of “so close, yet so far away.”

“This really was a closer match than 8-1,” Groth said. “It felt like a 5-4 match, even though the scores don’t indicate it. The set scores could have just as easily been reversed, based on a couple plays in individual games.

“A lot of those points came down to a question of mental toughness. Sometimes we had it, but unfortunately, several times we didn’t. We were close, yet so far away.”

Evidence of that closeness can be found in the No. 1 doubles match, where Murfey and Hild Andersh dropped a three-set (7-5, 4-6, 6-3) match to Boyle and Nicole Catalano.