SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State's women's tennis team battled Kansas City on Friday night, but came up short in a 5-2 loss that took nearly four hours to complete.
 
The Bears (0-6) did not go down without a fight. Raluca Puscas earned her first sweep as a Bear in the No. 6 spot. The transfer from New Orleans defeated Annalise Smith in a pair of 6-0 sets to earn Missouri State its first point of the match. Puscas has won her last three matches in a row.
 
Billur Gonlusen won MoState its other point in the No. 4 flight. Gonlusen dropped the first set against Kansas City's Maria Bylina, 6-1. She then stormed through the second set to won 6-0. In the third set, Gonlusen and Bylina fought for the upper hand. Gonlusen managed to build a lead, but Bylina caught up to tie the set 4-4. Gonlusen fought hard to take the third set 6-4 and earn the win. She extends her winning streak to three matches.
 
The Bears fought hard against the Roos in their first home match of the season. Of the six singles matches played, four went into a third set. Tuana Gunal won a tiebreaker in the second set to force her match into a third, but she ultimately lost the match to Kansas City's Joana Miralles Cardona. Lucy Latham and Gonlusen also faced a tiebreaker in their doubles match that ended up going the other way.
 
It marked the second meeting between Bears head coach Austin Hale and his father, Kendell Hale, the head coach of Kansas City.
 
MoState will stay at home this weekend to face Central Arkansas on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Live stats will be available, and admission is free to Cooper Tennis Complex.
   
Results
Missouri State (0-6) – 2, Kansas City (1-3) – 5
Doubles
1. Lucy Latham/Billur Gonlusen (MOST) lost to Sophie Marshman/Joana Miralles Cardona (KC) – 7-6 (5)
2. Tuana Gunal/Nicole Ross (MOST) defeated Catherine Chrobak/Amal Gati (KC) – 7-5
3. Raluca Puscas/Sandra Lukacova (MOST) lost to Maria Bylina/Ashley Jacobson (KC) – 6-3
 
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
 
Singles
1. Tuana Gunal (MOST) lost to Joana Miralles Cardona (KC) – 6-0, 6-7 (4), 7-5
2. Lucy Latham (MOST) lost to Catherine Chrobak (KC) – 5-7, 6-1, 6-0
3. Billur Gonlusen (MOST) defeated Maria Bylina (KC) – 1-6, 6-0, 6-4
4. Nicole Ross (MOST) lost to Sophie Marshman (KC) – 3-6, 6-0, 6-4
5. Sandra Lukacova (MOST) lost to Amal Gati (KC) – 6-4, 6-2
6. Raluca Puscas (MOST) defeated Annalise Smith (KC) – 6-0, 6-0
 
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 3, 5, 2, 1