As seniors should and often do, Caila Criss and Katie Patterson showed their teammates how it's done on Friday.

Unfortunately, their efforts were not enough for Colorado College.

Colorado Mesa University got off to a dominant start by sweeping the doubles competition, and despite gritty singles victories by CC's two most seasoned veterans, posted a 7-2 victory at Burghart Courts.

In what turned out to be the longest match of a cool and windy late afternoon, Patterson shrugged off a twisted ankle in the third game of her second set at No. 2 singles to prevail 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) over CMU's Kaylee Davis.

"I just tried to forget about it and stay in the point," Patterson said of the injury that occurred with her leading by a 2-1 count. "She (Davis) got to every ball. I really had to place my shots. I tried to vary the shots that I did, make her run around, so she wouldn't move me around as much."

Criss rallied from a first-set loss to record a 3-6, 6-4, 10-7 triumph at No. 4 for the Tigers first triumph of the day. 

But the visiting Mavericks, who traveled to Colorado Springs by bus after playing Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, on Thursday, frustrated the rest of CC's lineup.

"It was tough with the wind and everything," said Tigers head coach Anthony Weber. "I wish we could have gotten off to a better start, because Mesa was on a bus all day. They played at sea level [all] week, so it should have been an opportunity for us to jump on them in singles, and I think we let some of that go. We missed a lot of first serves and missed a lot of returns, so we'll be working on that this [coming] week."

Colorado College resumes action on Saturday morning, playing host to Hastings College starting at 10 a.m.


Singles
1. Natalie Martin (CMU) def. Mary Edman 7-5, 6-3
2. Katie Patterson (CC) def. Kaylee Davis 7-5, 7-6(7-4)
3. Shannen McNamara (CMU) def. Maggie Harwood 6-1, 6-0
4. Caila Criss (CC) def. Rachel McLaughlin 3-6, 6-4, 10-7
5. Kristyn Wykert (CMU) def. Gillian Hyde 6-1, 6-0
6. Katie Kirby (CMU) def. Maddie Cahill-Sanidas 6-2, 6-1
Doubles
1. Davis/McLaughlin (CMU) def. Edman/Harwood 8-6
2. McNamara/Wykert (CMU) def. Criss/Patterson 8-2
3. Martin/Kirby (CMU) def. Caroline Cary/Cahill-Sanidas 8-2