MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College women's tennis team dropped a 7-2 decision to Merrimack College on Thursday afternoon in Northeast-10 Conference action in Manchester, N.H.

Box Score

Kaitlin Hughes (Rockland, Mass.) teamed with Jess Perkins (Shrewsbury, Mass.) for an 8-2 victory at No. 2 doubles, and she later recorded a 7-5, 6-0 win over Danielle Dunn at No. 4 singles play for both of Saint Anselm's points on the day.

Perkins suffered her first singles setback of the season, falling in three sets to Grace Messina by scores of 6-1, 4-6, 10-6. Messina was the only person to defeat Perkins last season at the top singles spot in Northeast-10 Conference play.

The Warriors took a 2-1 lead into singles play after picking up victories over the Hawks at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Merrimack continued their strong play as the match moved to the singles portion of competition, posting wins at No. 2, 3, 5 and 6 singles, respectively.

Saint Anselm returns to action on Saturday when they travel to the College of Saint Rose for a 1 p.m. matchup with the Golden Knights.

Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @STAHawks.