MOBILE, Ala. -- Northwestern Ohio edged Indiana Wesleyan University women’s tennis by a 6-3 score in the NAIA National Championship First Round contested in Mobile, Alabama.

The match could have gone either way as Indiana Wesleyan lost a doubles match by one game and then lost a singles match in a long third set.

Tuesday’s national championship match with Northwestern Ohio was not the first tight contest between the two schools. Indiana Wesleyan defeated Northwestern Ohio 5-4 in Lima, Ohio on September 6, 2014. It was the sixth match of the season for Indiana Wesleyan.

The two close matches came from the No. 1-doubles team of Katie Wilson (JR/Middletown, Ind.) and Kim Mella (SR/Libertyville, Ill.) and from No. 4-singles Kelsey Vessels (SO/Roanoke, Ind.). Wilson and Mella were defeated by a 9-8 margin while Vessels dropped a three set match by scores of 6-3, 3-6, 8-10.

Indiana Wesleyan fell behind 3-0 after the conclusion of doubles. Besides the loss at No. 1, the No. 2-doubles team of Rachel Bottorff (SO/Newburgh, Ind.) and Kelsey Vessels lost 8-2 and the No. 3 team of Diane Jones (SR/Greenwood, Ind.) and Ellen Hornett (SO/Fishers, Ind.) lost 8-4.

The Wildcats fought back and split the six singles matches. Wilson won 7-5, 7-5 at No. 1-singles, Bottorff earned the point with a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 2-singles, and Mikayla Marazzi (SO/Abbotsford, BC) won 6-2, 7-6 at No. 6-singles. Courtney Siepman (JR/Plainfield, Ind.) lost 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 and Mella was defeated 6-1, 6-3 at No. 5-singles.

Indiana Wesleyan ends their season at 23-9. IWU won the Crossroads League Tournament championship and made a record 16th consecutive appearance at the NAIA National Championship.