The Michigan State women’s tennis team fought through three-set battles and emotional swings but ultimately fell 4-2 to Ivy League opponent Dartmouth, marking their first home loss of the season in a match decided by slim margins.

From the opening doubles point, the tone had been set: nothing would come easily.

Dartmouth’s pairings struck first, taking two of three doubles courts to claim the crucial opening point. The No. 2 doubles team of Sam Grosjean and Alexandra Orlins defeated MSU's Matilde Morais and Nina Plihal 6-2, while Michaela Moore and Peyton Capuano secured a 6-4 win over Oriana Parkins-Godwin and Issey Purser.

For MSU head coach Kim Bruno, the early deficit was frustrating — but not decisive.

"I thought we were better than what we showed in doubles, to be honest," Bruno said. "The mentality is like, you gotta have a goldfish memory at that point. That's one point. Obviously today proved to be a big point, but we still have six points out there."

That "goldfish memory" mentality — forget, reset, move forward — became integral as singles play relied into a psychological and physical grind.

On Court 6, junior Hanna Tsitavets delivered MSU's most composed performance of the day. Her forehand dictated play early, helping her build a commanding 6-1 first-set win over Dartmouth’s Lauren Han. Even as Han forced longer rallies in the second set, Tsitavets maintained control, closing out the match 6-4 with the same aggressive precision that defined her afternoon.

Her performance provided a stabilizing force for the Spartans, proof that control was possible even amid chaos.

Elsewhere, however, control proved elusive.

Sophomore Ellie Blackford struggled to find her rhythm on Court 1 against Dartmouth’s Moore. Forehands sailed long, routine shots clipped the net and visible frustration crept into her game. After briefly narrowing the deficit, Blackford dropped the first set 6-3 and fell behind quickly in the second before ultimately losing in straight sets.