COSTA MESA , Calif. --- It was destined to be a challenging day as Biola traveled to take on No. 9 Vanguard at their home court, but the Eagles had some glimmer of hope in Susan Carmichael's solid win at No. 3 singles.
 
Overall, the Eagles dropped the match 8-1, but it was Carmichael's gritty performance and display of toughness in a win over Gabrielle Allford that stole the show.
 
Allford entered the contest with a 10-7 record at the No. 3 slot and she was 6-1 in Golden State Athletic Conference play. Carmichael came in with an 8-6 mark in the No. 3 position and had won four of her last six.
 
She took the first set in a 6-4 thriller, but seemed to be losing her grip on the match in the second set. During that set Vanguard clinched the match with a win on another court and Allford took charge in a 6-2 win.
 
Since the match was already clinched, the two played a super breaker, and Carmichael got the edge with a 10-8 victory.
 
"Susan is tough," said Head Coach Dee Henry. "She got shots back that her opponent thought she would win. She kept her opponent pinned to the back fence because whenever her opponent would try to come in to the net she would hit shots just past her reach."
 
Outside of Carmichael's great play and close victory the Eagles could not get much else going on the court against a very well put together Vanguard team. Every other set was a decisive victory for Vanguard with the exception of the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles slots.
 
The Eagles get back in action with their regular-season finale on Firday at Westmont. Biola now sits in fifth place in the conference with a 7-15 (2-7 GSAC) record.