KALAMAZOO – The Western Michigan women's tennis team picked up its first win of the season after downing Marquette, 5-2, at West Hills Athletic Club on Friday. The win also marked the first victory for head coach Joelle Kissell.

WMU (1-0) opened up the match by winning the doubles point after victories at No. 1 and No. 3. Christine Gouws and Julia Frazier earned a quick 6-2 win over Joelle Fiallo Schad and Luciana Mendoza, 6-2, to give the Broncos the early advantage. The top pair of Lola Glantz and Audrey Smitek secured the doubles point after downing Tiera Jarmond and Andie Weise, 6-4. Polina Khotko and Sienna Osborne had a 5-4 lead at No. 2 but the match went unfinished.

Gouws, in her Western Michigan debut, was the first off the court after a 6-4, 6-0 win over Mendoza to push the lead to 2-0. Smitek had to go to a tie-breaker, 7-3, to win her first set against Aiyana Abbott at No. 5 and followed it up with a 6-2 win in the second set to make it 3-0. The Golden Eagles got a point on the board after Jarmond defeated Khotko 6-2, 6-4 at No. 2. However, graduate transfer Lola Glantz sealed with match victory with a 7-6 (9-7), 7-5 win at No. 1 over Weise.

"I'm so proud of the way the team competed together," said Kissell. "To get our first win in our home opener was very special. It took a total team effort, as Marquette came ready to play and battled hard on all courts. Our girls responded very well to the challenge and it was a great way to start the season."

Freshman Sienna Osborne picked up her first collegiate dual-match victory, defeating Emma Davis 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 at No. 3 for WMU's fifth and final point.

Western Michigan is back at it on Sunday, hosting Ferris State at 12 p.m. and then welcoming Hillsdale at 4:00 p.m.