LANCASTER, Pa. – Despite a lopsided 9-0 score, Franklin & Marshall's women's tennis team battled throughout the lineup in a loss to the nation's No. 1 team in Johns Hopkins on Tuesday afternoon at the Brooks Tennis Center. The Diplomats (ranked No. 8 in the Altantic South Region) fell to 6-4, 2-1 CC with the defeat, while the Blue Jays remained unbeaten at 10-0, 2-0 CC. 

Falling by a 6-3 score in her opening set at No. 1, Caitlin Rummelsburg nearly tied the match in the second but came up just short by falling in the tiebreaker 7-6 (7-5). 

Nicole Russo captured her opening set at No. 3 with a 6-4 win before Hopkins' Macie Wilkins tied up the contest with a narrow 7-5 victory in the second. The tiebreaker belonged to Wilkins with a 10-4 score to earn the victory. 

At the No. 5 spot in the lineup, Emily Gruenberg was also involved in a close matchup for F&M. Falling 6-1 in the first, Gruenberg battled back for the 6-4 victory in the second to knot the match at 1-1. However, she came up short after falling in the tiebreaker by a 10-4 tally. 

Rummelsburg and Anya Sahaydachny battled at No. 1 doubles but were dropped by an 8-6 score, while Megan FitzMaurice and Dana Sleeper gave the Blue Jays all they could handle at No. 2, but were edged out at 8-5. 

The Diplomats return to the court on Saturday when F&M hosts CC-opponent Haverford at 12:00 p.m.