It was a rough day on the court for the Eagles Saturday morning as both men’s and women’s tennis fell to Westmont College, the men by 9-0 and the women by 8-1.

Going into this season, despite finishing 2012 with a struggling overall performance of 5-14, the Eagles received a shocking pre-season ranking of 24th in the nation.

The Golden State Athletic Conference has proven over the past few season to be the best conference for men’s tennis in the nation. Six of the eight GSAC schools in the 2012 season finished the nationally ranked 12th or better. Since the return of men’s tennis to Biola in 2007, the Eagles have never finished above .500, and have struggled to keep from finishing last in the conference the past few years.

Hoping to show they are deserving of the pre-season ranking, the Eagles charged into the season looking to start strong. Unfortunately, despite a hard fought effort, the men came up well short.

As for the women, there was a silver lining despite the tough loss. The Eagles snapped a four game skid of not winning a single individual or doubles match. This streak dated back to the final three matches of last season, in which Biola went 0-9 to Azusa Pacific University, Westmont, and The Master’s College.

Freshman Kathryn Ashford recorded Biola’s singular win, as she defeated her opponent Jessica Cedillo 6-7 (4), 6-4, (10-7) in a singles match. Each of the other 5 matches included Biola players getting swept 6-0 in a set.

Both teams will look to get back on the right track, as they take on Vanguard University in Costa Mesa this Tuesday.