After starting the season 5-2 the Albert Lea girls’ tennis team ran into one of the state’s top programs Tuesday in Rochester and were handed a 7-0 loss to Mayo.

The start of the conference schedule has pitted the Tigers against some of the top in the Big Nine, but head coach Sean Gillam said hopefully his team can learn from Thursday’s loss.

“Hopefully we can use this defeat to make ourselves better,” Gillam said. “We’re going to start out the season with the tough part and hopefully we get better.”

Albert Lea failed to take a set against the Spartans.

Mayo 7, Albert Lea 0

Singles

No. 1 Emilie Renault (M) def. Kellsie Dieser 6-0, 6-0

No. 2 Marika Pitot (M) def. Michelle Hartmann 6-0, 6-0

No. 3 Kate Rosenow (M) def. Jenna Sager 6-1, 6-0

No. 4 Kylie Boyer (M) def. Amy Bohlen 6-0, 6-1

Doubles

No. 1 Paige Becher/Jacqueline Cliby (M) def. Mikaela Pierson/Sarah Wenum 6-2, 6-0

No. 2 Jessica Edwards/Sophie Charlton (M) def. Taylor Nelson/Erika Blickenderfer 6-1, 7-5

No. 3 Hannah Strobel/Jenny Kosharek (M) def. Zoey Hill/Kayla Hartmann 6-0, 6-1