Washington, D.C. - A team with only one loss on its record all fall, the Adelphi University women's tennis team fell in its spring opener to University of the District of Columbia, 6-1, on Saturday at the UDC Tennis Courts in Washington, D.C.

Coming off winning an NE10 Championship back in October, the Panthers (11-2) now aim to further strengthen their tournament resume as the NE10's automatic qualifier to the 2024 NCAA Division II Championship this May.

It fell on the racquets of Katarina Liedbeck, Roisin Boyd and Caterina Federici to claw the 'Cats out of a 3-1 hole. And not only did all three Panthers play a third set, Boyd and Federici both faced tiebreaks.

Boyd jumped out to a 3-0 lead to start the third, but lost the last six points in a 6-7 (0-7), 6-3, 3-6 defeat at No. 2 singles that cemented victory for the Firebirds (8-5).

Staring down three set points, Liedbeck went on a tear of five unanswered to steal away the first set at No. 1 singles. UDC's Laura Marie earned a key break though in the second set and ultimately prevailed in three sets by a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 scoreline.

Federici encountered a pair of tiebreaks in her three-setter at the No. 4 flight. In that third set, the junior fought back from a 5-1 deficit, before losing a hard-fought 7-5 tiebreak.

Astrid Bergh had the lone victory of the day for the Brown and Gold, winning in straight sets (6-3, 7-5) at No. 3 singles.

Head Coach Rebecca Fakas and the Panthers will welcome in two-time defending ECC Tournament champion St. Thomas Aquinas College for a 1 p.m. first serve on Tuesday, Mar. 26 in Garden City, N.Y.