The Oregon women’s tennis team played its first match in over 10 months on Saturday, visiting the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Despite a strong start in doubles, they fell 4-3 after lagging behind in singles.

The Ducks are fielding a young team this year. Four of the six starters on doubles were freshmen, as well as four of the six on singles. The only upperclassman in the lineup was senior Rifanty Kahfiani, who played both doubles and singles.

Kahfiani and freshman Uxia Martinez Moral won their doubles match 6-2 to start things off. Allison Mulville and Madisen Olsen lost theirs 2-6, so the doubles point came down to freshmen Lillian Mould and Janice Tjen.

Mould and Tjen held a 5-3 lead with a chance to serve for the set, but Gonzaga broke back to get it to 5-4. Oregon responded with a break of their own to finish off the set, 6-4, securing the doubles point for the Ducks.

Singles play got off to a rough start for Oregon. Ares Teixido Garcia, Mulville and Mould all lost, and Gonzaga took a 3-1 lead in the match. The Ducks needed to win the three remaining singles matches.

Tjen came away with her first collegiate singles win, 6-2, 7-6, to get the Ducks on the board in singles play. With Martinez Moral leading in her match, all eyes turned to the senior Kahfiani.

Kahfiani lost the first set 2-6, and was down 1-4 in the second. She got back on serve though, coming just a point away from tying the set at 4-4, but lost the decisive deuce point to go down 3-5. She eventually lost the second set, 3-6, and Gonzaga clinched the match.

Oregon fell to 0-1, while Gonzaga improved to 3-0.

Next up, the Ducks will head back to Eugene and play five consecutive matches at home, with their next one scheduled for Feb. 5 against Portland State. Their conference play doesn’t open until March 5 at Arizona State.