HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's tennis team opened its Centennial Conference slate with a 7-2 loss to top-ranked Johns Hopkins University on Saturday afternoon at the Bettye Marshall Tennis Courts.

The Fords (3-2, 0-1 CC) made the Blue Jays (5-0, 1-0) work hard for every point throughout the afternoon and their persistence paid off early in the match as Robyn Himelstein and Kate Donches earned a victory at No. 2 doubles. The duo outlasted Macie Wilkins and Kaitlin Pfisterer in a heated 7-3 tiebreaker to register the 9-8 win.

Haverford looked to rally during singles but senior Alex Ferrara, playing at No. 2, accounted for the Fords' only other point of the day with a hard-fought victory over Anna Kankanala. Shaking off a 6-4 loss in set one, Ferrara responded with a 6-2 win in set two before completing the comeback with a 10-6 victory in the super tiebreaker.

Conference play continues for Haverford on Wednesday against visiting Bryn Mawr College. The match against the rival Owls begins at 4 p.m.