ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. -- The Brandeis women's tennis team, ranked No. 30 in Division III, dropped their 2016 University Athletic Association tournament opener to No. 9 Carnegie Mellon, 8-1, today in Sanlando Park. 

The Judges, seeded seventh in the tournament, took the No. 1 doubles match from the second-seeded Tartans. Sophomore Haley Cohen (Cherry Hill, N.J./Laurel Springs) and rookie Olivia Leavitt (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth) defeated CMU's Cori Sidell and Minami Makino, 8-5, to get the Judges on the board. Carnegie Mellon won No. 2, 8-6, and No. 3, 8-3, to take the lead into singles action.

Brandeis had chances to pick up some more points in singles, but the Judges were on the wrong end of some close scores. At No. 3, rookie Keren Khromchenko (Manalapan, N.J. / Academy of Allied Health and Science) bounced back against Sidell after dropping the first set, but couldn't hang on in the third, falling 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. Senior Maya Vasser (New Rochelle, N.Y. / New Rochelle)also went three sets at No. 6, but ended up losing to CMU's Marina Selecina, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Leavitt was in her match at No. 2 singles, but dropped a pair of late service breaks to fall to Nicholle Torres, 7-5, 7-5. Cohen lost her second set at No. 1 by the same score against Brooke Tsu after dropping the first, 6-2. Rookie Sophia He (Poughkeepsie, N.Y. / Spackenkill) pushed the Tartans' Jamie Vizelman to a first-set tiebreaker, but couldn't solve her opponent in the second set, falling 7-6, 6-0. Senior Emily Eska (Princeton, Mass. / Wachusett Regional) lost at No. 5, 6-4, 6-1, to Makino.

Brandeis (8-8) will meet NYU in the consolation semifinals tomorrow. The Violets handed the Judges a 5-4 defeat earlier this season.