Stanford, Calif. - Despite taking one of the top 20 players in the country to three sets, William and Mary women's tennis freshman Jeltje Loomans dropped her opening round match in the NCAA Singles Championships on Wednesday. After earning the Colonial Athletic Association's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, the Tribe rookie jumped out to a set advantage over Arizona State's Kelcy McKenna, but the No. 19-ranked player in the country rebounded by taking the final two sets in advancing to the second round.

Loomans seized control in the match early, claiming the opening set, 7-5, over the two-time First-Team All-Pac 10 selection. McKenna forced a decisive third set, winning the second by an identical 7-5 score. The Sun Devil senior outlasted Loomans in third set, 6-3, to earn a spot in Thursday's second round opposite the event's No. 3 seed Hilary Barte of Stanford.

The sixth W&M freshman in program history to play in the NCAA Singles Championships, Loomans saw her three-match winning streak come to close as she wrapped up the season at 12-11 overall. After battling injuries through the early part of the season, she finished her rookie campaign, winning 10 of her final 14 matches on the way to earning Third-Team All-CAA honors in singles and second-team accolades in doubles.

The Tribe doubles team of sophomore Anik Cepeda and freshman Hope Johnson, which is ranked No. 43 nationally, will take part in the first round of the NCAA Doubles Championships on Thursday, May 26. After being named an alternate to the event earlier this month, the Green and Gold tandem learned they would compete in the national championships on Wednesday. The first round of the doubles championships for both men and women will begin following the second round of singles on Thursday, which is slated to start at 1 p.m. ET.

W&M Results from the First Round of the NCAA Singles Championships
#19 Kelcy McKenna (Arizona State) def. Jeltje Loomans (W&M) - 5-7, 7-5, 6-3