By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
There are days when you get beat by a better team.
Wednesday was such a day for the Dowagiac varsity tennis team as it was soundly defeated by visiting Portage Central 7-1 in a Big 16 Conference crossover match.
Dowagiac picked up its lone victory at No. 1 singles where Lisa Rubino defeated Stephanie Johnson, 6-4 and 6-2.
The Chieftains lost a pair of tough tiebreakers at No. 3 and No. 4 singles, however, Portage Central completely dominated the doubles flights, losing just 11 games.
Rubino told his squad after the match that this was the type of opponents his squad needs to see as they prepare to defend their Division 4 regional championship in two weeks.
On Saturday, Dowagiac will compete in the Edwardsburg Invitational. Play is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. The Chieftains will then complete their Big 16 crossover schedule with a trip to Battle Creek Lakeview on Monday.
The Lakeview match is set to begin at 4:30 p.m.