Howard Payne women's tennis faced Mary Hardin-Baylor on Friday, April 17 in Belton, falling 6-1 in a heated conference match. 

Despite the final score, the Lady Jackets found a strong highlight at the top of the singles lineup. Hannah Lightner delivered the lone point of the match for Howard Payne with an impressive straight-set victory at No. 1 singles, defeating her opponent 7-5, 7-5. Lightner showed composure in key moments, closing out both sets in tight fashion to secure the team's point.

In doubles action, the pairings of Hannah Lightner and Victoria Ramos, along with Kendra Werlein and Nina Delafuente, competed at the top two positions against a tough Mary Hardin-Baylor lineup.

Victoria Ramos battled at No. 2 singles, while Nina Delafuente and Kendra Werlein also saw action in the middle of the lineup, gaining valuable experience against conference competition.

Head Coach Josh Lopez pointed to Lightner's performance as a positive takeaway moving forward.

"Hannah competed at a really high level and showed the kind of toughness we need across the lineup," Lopez said. "We're continuing to grow through conference play, and matches like this will help us improve as we keep pushing forward."

Howard Payne will look to build on that momentum as The ASC Conference Tournament comes next on April 24th in Belton, TX hosted by UMHB.