Owatonna, Minn. – The Polars women's tennis team kicked off its spring schedule Saturday with two dual matches in Owatonna, Minnesota, dropping a pair of close contests to Ripon College and Martin Luther College.

Against Ripon, Elyse Steffen and Kayla Bultena earned a win at doubles, but it was not enough as Ripon claimed the doubles point to take a 1–0 lead. Amy Eckstrom evened the score with a singles victory, and additional singles wins from Maya Woutila and Bultena kept the match tight. However, Ripon secured the remaining singles courts to claim a 4–3 team victory.

The Polars fell in their second match of the day, 5–2, to Martin Luther. Bultena and Steffen capped a strong day by earning their second doubles win, this time against the Knights. Woutila continued her impressive performance with another singles victory, finishing the day undefeated in singles play. Steffen also added a singles win, accounting for the Polars' two team points in the dual.

The Polars return to action next week as they host Simpson College on Thursday before traveling to Saint Mary's (Minn.) on Friday