It was not to be, however, as Naqushbandi fell to Walker at No. 5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Despite the team loss, Lingman refused to give up. Facing a seemingly insurmountable 6-2, 3-0 deficit, she battled back to take six of the next seven games and the second set from Denny. Completing the comeback, the freshman won the third set, 7-5, to seal her victory.

With the outcome of the match decided, No. 138 Hyotte was tied, 3-3, in the third set with Meredith Fish.

The Crimson, though, had only an hour before its plane back to Boston was scheduled to take off. In such situations, it is customary that both players agree to settle the match with a tiebreak.

Florida State Coach Lise Gregory, however, knowing that Hyotte would not be able to play out the entire match, refused to accept such an arrangement, forcing Hyotte to retire for the final 5-2 margin.

Upon returning home, the Crimson women were dissapointed with the result, but moderately encouraged by their performances.

“There were about three matches that could have gone either way,” Naqushbandi said.

“Everyone was fighting until the end, but it was just a matter of a few points here and there,” Martire added.

Now, the challenge facing the Harvard players is to win those pivotal points the rest of the season.