HILTON HEAD, S.C. - Webster University opened up play in the 2019 Spring TennisFest here Sunday evening by suffering a 9-0 setback to Nazareth College at the Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Club. 

With the setback, Webster falls to 2-3 on the season, while Nazareth improves to 11-3.

The Gorloks played Sunday's match and will its remaining three matches in the Spring TennisFest without its two top players, seniors Madison Watts (Rogersville, Mo./Logan Rogersville) and Sara Rice (Mahomet, Ill./Mahomet-Seymour). Watts and Rice did not make the trip due to previous conflicts. 

Without Watts and Rice in the line-up, Webster had to adjust its lineup as sophomore Maggie Federhofer (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran South) played the No. 1 singles spot and freshman Navone Armstrong (St. Louis, Mo./McCleur North) played the No. 2 singles spot in place of Rice and Watts respectively.

Against the Golden Flyers, the Gorloks were swept in doubles as Nazareth won all three doubles matches, including winning in a tiebreaker, 8-7 (7-3), at the No. 1 spot as Federhofer and Armstrong battled point-for-point with Brooke Murphy and Erin Schantz.

The other two doubles matches were 8-0 and 8-1 in favor of Nazareth. 

In singles action, Nazareth won all six matches and Webster won a total of 15 games, with seven of those wins coming from freshman Emma Ferguson (Troy, Mo./Troy Buchanan) at the No. 3 spot against Marisa Joyce. Joyce won the match, 6-4, 6-3. 

At the No. 1 spot, Federhofer fell 7-5, 6-0 to Jackie Lisak and at No. 2 singles, Armstrong lost in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0 to Elizabeth Karstedt. 

Freshman Addie Struckman (O'Fallon, Mo./Francis Howell) won two games at No. 4 singles as she fell 6-1, 6-1 to Maelah Nadeau.

Webster will continue play in the Spring TennisFest on Monday, March 11 with an 8:30 a.m. ET match against Illinois Wesleyan.